ptyalin Hear it!

ptyalin definition

ptya·lin (tī′ə lin)

noun

an amylase in the saliva of humans and some other animals that converts starch into various dextrins and maltose

Etymology: < Gr ptyalon, spittle < ptyein, to spit (of echoic orig.) + -in

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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