cofactor

[ koh-fak-ter ]

noun
  1. Biochemistry. any of various organic or inorganic substances necessary to the function of an enzyme.

  2. Mathematics.

    • a prefactor or postfactor.

    • the product of the minor of a given element of a matrix times −1 raised to the power of the sum of the indices of the row and column crossed out in forming the minor.

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Origin of cofactor

1
First recorded in 1935–40; co- + factor

Words Nearby cofactor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for cofactor

cofactor

/ (ˈkəʊˌfæktə) /


noun
  1. maths a number associated with an element in a square matrix, equal to the determinant of the matrix formed by removing the row and column in which the element appears from the given determinant: See minor

  2. biochem a nonprotein substance that forms a complex with certain enzymes and is essential for their activity. It may be a metal ion or a coenzyme

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for cofactor

cofactor

[ făk′tər ]


  1. A substance, such as a metallic ion or a coenzyme, that must be associated with an enzyme for the enzyme to function. Cofactors work by changing the shape of an enzyme or by actually participating in the enzymatic reaction.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.