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papain

noun
pa·​pa·​in | \ pə-ˈpā-ən How to pronounce papain (audio) , -ˈpī-ən How to pronounce papain (audio) \

Definition of papain

: a protease in the juice of unripe papaya that is used especially as a tenderizer for meat and in medicine (as in the topical debridement of necrotic tissue)

Examples of papain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 And the smaller events, in many cases, produced genes associated with being carnivorous — like the ones that make papain, an enzyme in meat tenderizer. — Joanna Klein, New York Times, "Genetic Tidying Up Made Humped Bladderworts Into Carnivorous Plants," 19 May 2017

First Known Use of papain

1880, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for papain

International Scientific Vocabulary, from papaya

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More Definitions for papain

papain

noun
pa·​pa·​in | \ pə-ˈpā-ən How to pronounce papain (audio) , -ˈpī- How to pronounce papain (audio) \

Medical Definition of papain

: a crystallizable protease in the juice of the green fruit of the papaya obtained usually as a brownish powder and used chiefly as a tenderizer for meat and in medicine as a digestant and as a topical agent in the debridement of necrotic tissue

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