ptyalin

[ tahy-uh-lin ]

/ ˈtaɪ ə lɪn /

noun Biochemistry.

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

Nearby words

ptui, ptv, pty, ptyalagogue, ptyalectasis, ptyalin, ptyalism, ptyalo-, ptyalocele, pu, pu yi

Origin of ptyalin

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

Also called salivary amylase.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ptyalin

One part of ptyalin, according to Mialhe, was capable of transforming 800 parts of insoluble starch into sugar.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II|Arnold Cooley
These unorganized ferments are such as rennin, pepsin, trypsin, ptyalin.
The Book of Cheese|Charles Thom and Walter Warner Fisk
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
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

Amylopsin is much more powerful and rapid than the ptyalin of the saliva, especially on uncooked starch.
The Chemistry of Food and Nutrition|A. W. Duncan

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

Medicine definitions for ptyalin

ptyalin

[ tī′ə-lĭn ]

n.

An amylase present in saliva that catalyzes the hydrolysis of starch into maltose and dextrin.

Science 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.