'Papain' definitions:
Definition of 'papain'
(from WordNet)
noun
A proteolytic enzyme obtained from the unripe papaya; used as a meat tenderizer
Definition of 'Papain'
From: GCIDE
- Papain \Pa*pa"in\, n. [From Papaw.] (Physiol. Chem.) A proteolytic ferment, like trypsin, present in the juice of the green fruit of the papaw (Carica Papaya) of tropical America. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'papain'
From: GCIDE
- papaya \pa*pa"ya\, n. [Prob. from the native name in the West Indies; cf. Sp. papayo papaw, papaya the fruit of the papaw.]
- 1. (Bot.) A tree (Carica Papaya) of tropical America, belonging to the order Passiflore[ae]; called also papaw and pawpaw. It has a soft, spongy stem, eighteen or twenty feet high, crowned with a tuft of large, long-stalked, palmately lobed leaves. The milky juice of the plant is said to have the property of making meat tender. [1913 Webster +PJC]
- 2. The fruit of the papaya tree; it is a dull orange-colored, melon-shaped fruit, which is eaten both raw and cooked or pickled. The fruit contains papain, a protease. [1913 Webster + PJC]