Meaning & use
collagen
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountablebiologytechnical
a protein that forms the main structure of skin, bone, tendon, and other connective tissue in the body.
Grammar: No plural and no article: 'Collagen gives skin its strength.'
Patterns
- collagen in something
- produce collagen
- collagen fibers
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body.
As people age, their skin produces less collagen, so wrinkles form more easily.
The doctor explained that collagen helps hold bones and tendons together.
noununcountableinformal
a substance sold in foods, drinks, or creams that people use to try to improve skin, hair, or joints.
Grammar: Used without an article when talking about the product in general: 'She takes collagen every morning.'
Patterns
- take collagen
- collagen powder
- collagen supplement
She adds collagen powder to her morning smoothie.
Many companies sell collagen creams that promise younger-looking skin.
He bought a collagen supplement after reading about joint health.
Common combinations
- collagen fibers
- Under the microscope, the collagen fibers formed a dense network.
- produce collagen
- The body produces less collagen after the age of thirty.
- collagen supplement
- Some athletes take a collagen supplement for their joints.
- collagen production
- Vitamin C is needed for normal collagen production.
- break down collagen
- Too much sun can break down collagen in the skin.
Word family
- collagenous adjective
- made of or containing collagen, as in 'collagenous tissue'.
Commonly confused: collagen or collagenase?
collagen vs collagenase
Collagenase is an enzyme that breaks down collagen, not the protein itself.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'collagen' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Collagen' is uncountable, so it has no plural and takes no article in general statements. 'A collagen' and 'collagens' are wrong, and 'collagen are' breaks agreement with the singular uncountable noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “collagen”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.