proenzyme

[proh-en-zahym]

noun Biochemistry.

any of a group of proteins that are converted to active enzymes by partial breakdown, as by the action of an acid or other enzyme.

Origin of proenzyme

First recorded in 1895–1900; pro-¹ + enzyme

Also called zymogen.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for proenzyme

Historical Examples of proenzyme

When in this stage, the compound is known as "proenzyme," or "zymogen."
The Chemistry of Plant Life
Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher

British Dictionary definitions for proenzyme

proenzyme

noun

the inactive form of an enzyme; zymogen

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

proenzyme in Medicine

proenzyme

[prō-ĕn′zīm′]

The inactive or nearly inactive precursor of an enzyme, converted into an active enzyme by proteolysis.zymogen