Meaning & use
enzyme
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Meanings
nouncountablebiologychemistry
A protein made by living cells that makes a specific chemical reaction happen faster without being used up.
Grammar: Countable: an enzyme, many enzymes.
Patterns
- an enzyme that does something
- an enzyme in something
An enzyme in saliva begins to break down starch.
Each enzyme works on one particular molecule.
Without enzymes, digestion would take far too long.
nouncountabletechnicalbusiness
A substance of this kind added to products such as detergents or foods to speed up useful changes.
Grammar: Industrial use: enzymes in laundry detergent.
Patterns
- enzymes in something
Laundry detergents contain enzymes that break down stains.
Cheese makers add an enzyme to curdle the milk.
Enzymes help turn grain into sugar in brewing.
Word forms
| plural | enzymes |
|---|
Common combinations
- digestive enzyme
- A digestive enzyme breaks down fats in the gut.
- enzyme activity
- High heat can destroy enzyme activity.
- enzyme deficiency
- The child has an enzyme deficiency.
- produce an enzyme
- The pancreas produces an enzyme for digestion.
- enzyme inhibitor
- An enzyme inhibitor slows the reaction.
- liver enzymes
- The blood test checked his liver enzymes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- catalyst
- A catalyst is any substance that speeds up a reaction, while an enzyme is specifically a protein made by living things.
- protein
- Protein is the wider class of molecules, and only some proteins are enzymes.
- ferment
- Ferment is an old term for a substance causing fermentation, now replaced by enzyme.
- biocatalyst
- Biocatalyst is a technical term for an enzyme or cell used to speed a reaction.
Opposites
Word family
- enzymatic adjective
- relating to enzymes
- enzymatically adverb
- by means of enzymes
- enzymology noun
- the study of enzymes
- coenzyme noun
- a small molecule that helps an enzyme work
Commonly confused: enzyme or hormone?
enzyme vs hormone
A hormone is a chemical messenger carried in the blood, while an enzyme speeds up a chemical reaction.
Practice
The enzyme amylase in your saliva starts to break down ____ in bread.
Choose one answer.
Amylase works on starch. Each enzyme is specific, so it does not break down fat, iron, or salt.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “enzyme”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.