pepsin

or pep·sine

[ pep-sin ]

/ ˈpɛp sɪn /

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noun Biochemistry.

an enzyme, produced in the stomach, that in the presence of hydrochloric acid splits proteins into proteoses and peptones.

a commercial form of this substance, obtained from the stomachs of hogs, used as a digestive, as a ferment in the manufacture of cheese, etc.

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Origin of pepsin

1835–45; <Greek péps(is) digestion (pep-, base of péptein to digest + -sis-sis) + -in²

Words nearby pepsin

pepperwort, peppery, pep pill, peppy, pep rally, pepsin, pepsinate, pepsinogen, pep someone up, peptalk, peptic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pepsin in a sentence

It is secreted by the gastric glands, and is transformed into pepsin by the action of a free acid.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Deficiency of rennin has the same significance as deficiency of pepsin, and is more easily recognized.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Pepsin is rarely or never absent in the presence of free hydrochloric acid.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Since the two enzyms are almost invariably present or absent together, the test for rennin serves also as a test for pepsin.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

It will be noted that they now make no claim for pepsin, nor do they state that it contains iron in organic form.
The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 1 of 2|Various

British Dictionary definitions for pepsin

pepsin

pepsine

/ (ˈpɛpsɪn) /

noun

a proteolytic enzyme produced in the stomach in the inactive form pepsinogen, which, when activated by acid, splits proteins into peptones

Word Origin for pepsin

C19: via German from Greek pepsis, from peptein to digest

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for pepsin

pepsin

[ pĕp′sĭn ]

Any of various digestive enzymes found in vertebrate animals that catalyze the hydrolysis of proteins to peptides.