proteins

[ (proh-teenz, proh-tee-inz) ]


Complex organic molecules (see also organic molecule) made up of amino acids. Proteins are basic components of all living cells and are therefore among the principal substances that make up the body. In addition to being necessary for the growth and repair of the body's tissues, proteins provide energy and act as enzymes that control chemical reactions in the cell.

Notes for proteins

Foods that contain a high percentage of protein include meat, fish, poultry, milk products, beans, and nuts.

Words Nearby proteins

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

How to use proteins in a sentence

  • Food proteins that cause no redness and swelling are thought harmless for that patient.

    The Treatment of Hay Fever | George Frederick Laidlaw
  • proteins of all our common foods are now obtainable in the drug trade put up in tiny capsules ready for the test.

    The Treatment of Hay Fever | George Frederick Laidlaw
  • If injected beneath the skin or rubbed into a deep scratch, the food proteins, like the pollen proteins, may be dangerous.

    The Treatment of Hay Fever | George Frederick Laidlaw
  • Just what action the liver exerts upon proteins is not wholly known at the present writing.

    The Mother and Her Child | William S. Sadler
  • The proteins, or nitrogenous foods, are not so completely burned up in the body.

    The Mother and Her Child | William S. Sadler