zein

American

[zee-in] / ˈzi ɪn /

noun

Biochemistry. a soft, yellow powder of simple proteins obtained from corn, used chiefly in the manufacture of textile fibers, plastics, and paper coatings.
a synthetic fiber produced from this protein.

zein British

/ ˈziːɪn /

noun

a protein of the prolamine group occurring in maize and used in the manufacture of plastics, paper coatings, adhesives, etc

"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

Etymology

Origin of zein

1815–25; < New Latin Ze ( a ) the maize genus ( Latin: emmer < Greek zeiá barley, wheat; cognate with Sanskrit yáva grain) + -in ²

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.

Mazein is Corn Products Refining Co.'s trade name for zein, a protein substance which occurs in corn.

From Time Magazine Archive

A drawback, however, was that in solution zein had a tendency to jell.

From Time Magazine Archive

The director of the Corn Industries Research Foundation, Chemist Harry Everett Barnard, urged chemists to invent uses for zein, a protein left over as a by-product from the corn-refining industry.

From Time Magazine Archive

By an un disclosed chemical process, Harford finally succeeded in converting zein into a non-jelling resin.

From Time Magazine Archive

Examples of these proteins may be seen in the gliadin of wheat, zein of corn, and hordein of barley.

From Dietetics for Nurses by Proudfit, Fairfax T.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023