pepsin
Americannoun
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an enzyme, produced in the stomach, that in the presence of hydrochloric acid splits proteins into proteoses and peptones.
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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.
noun
Etymology
Origin of pepsin
1835–45; < Greek péps ( is ) digestion ( pep-, base of péptein to digest + -sis -sis ) + -in 2
Vocabulary lists containing pepsin
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Hydrochloric acid helps to convert the inactive pepsinogen to pepsin.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
Pepsin breaks peptide bonds and cleaves proteins into smaller polypeptides; it also helps activate more pepsinogen, starting a positive feedback mechanism that generates more pepsin.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
In the stomach, pepsinogen mixes with hydrochloric acid to form pepsin, which begins digesting proteins, such as turkey, into smaller chains of amino acids.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
An enzyme called pepsin digests protein in the stomach.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
The soft drink had been named for the digestive enzyme pepsin, he sagely told us, and so was suited to the task.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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