enzyme
/ˈɛn.zaɪm/ noun
Forms enzymes
- noun (biochemistry) A biomolecule that catalyses a biological chemical reaction: either a globular protein with this function or an RNA molecule with this function.
- noun (strictly) The protein type specifically.
- noun (Christianity) Leavened bread, as opposed to azyme.
Etymology
From German Enzym, coined 1878 by the German physiologist Wilhelm Kühne from Ancient Greek ἐν (en, “in”) + ζύμη (zúmē, “leaven”). By surface analysis, en- + zyme.
Webster’s 1913
- noun An unorganized or unformed ferment, in distinction from an organized or living ferment; a soluble, or chemical, ferment.
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “enzyme”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details