protein meaning

Noun: protein  prowteen

1. Any of a large group of nitrogenous organic compounds that are essential constituents of living cells; consist of polymers of amino acids; essential in the diet of animals for growth and for repair of tissues; can be obtained from meat and eggs and milk and legumes
   "a diet high in protein"

Derived forms: proteins

See also: proteinaceous

Type of: macromolecule, supermolecule

Part of: egg, eggs, legume, meat, milk

Encyclopedia: Protein

[Medicine]
n often attrib
1 : any of numerous naturally occurring extremely complex substances (as an enzyme or antibody) that consist of amino acid residues joined by peptide bonds, contain the elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, usu. sulfur, and occas. other elements (as phosphorus or iron), that are essential constituents of all living cells, that are synthesized from raw materials by plants but assimilated as separate amino acids by animals, that are both acidic and basic and usu. colloidal in nature although many have been crystallized, and that are hydrolyzable by acids, alkalies, proteolytic enzymes, and putrefactive bacteria to polypeptides, to simpler peptides, and ultimately to alpha-amino acids
2 : the total nitrogenous material in plant or animal substances; esp : CRUDE PROTEIN

Examples

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1. you need more protein to build you up.
2. diphtheria antitoxin is a foreign protein.
3. groats protein contents range up to 19%.
4. the cement appears to be a liquid protein.
5. the synaptonemal complex is protein in nature.