pepsin

or pep·sine

[ pep-sin ]

nounBiochemistry.

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.

Origin of pepsin

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

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How to use pepsin in a sentence

With this I succeeded in getting accurate comparisons between the digestive powers of various pepsins.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 664, September 22,1888 | 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

Origin of 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.

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