ptyalin

[ tahy-uh-lin ]

/ ˈtaɪ ə lɪn /

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noun Biochemistry.

an enzyme in the saliva that converts starch into dextrin and maltose.

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Also called salivary amylase.

Origin of ptyalin

1835–45; <Greek ptýal(on) spittle, saliva + -in²

Words nearby ptyalin

PTT, ptui, PTV, Pty, ptyalectasis, ptyalin, ptyalism, p-type, Pu, pub, pub crawl

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

How to use ptyalin in a sentence

Ptyalin, -e, tī′a-lin, n. the nitrogenous essential principle of saliva.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various
The action of ptyalin, however, continues in the fundus of the stomach until stopped by the acid in the gastric juice.
Dietetics for Nurses|Fairfax T. Proudfit
Here a similar action is caused by an enzyme called ptyalin.
A Civic Biology|George William Hunter
The diastase of the malt has the same action on starch as the ptyalin in the saliva.
The Chemistry of Food and Nutrition|A. W. Duncan

Amylopsin, the starch-digesting enzym, appears to be very similar to ptyalin in its power to digest carbohydrates.
Encyclopedia of Diet|Eugene Christian

British Dictionary definitions for ptyalin

ptyalin

/ (ˈtaɪəlɪn) /

noun

biochem an amylase secreted in the saliva of man and other animals

Word Origin for ptyalin

C19: from Greek ptualon saliva, from ptuein to spit

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 ptyalin

ptyalin

[ tī′ə-lĭn ]

An enzyme found in the saliva of humans and herbivorous animals that helps in the predigestion of starches. Ptyalin is a type of amylase.