- any of a large group of organic acids containing a carboxyl group, COOH, and an amino group, NH
- any of the amino acids, usually about 20, that link together into polypeptide chains to form proteins that are necessary for all life: in general, they are water-soluble, crystalline, amphoteric electrolytes having mirror-image isomeric forms with right and left optical activity: ten of these (essential amino acids) cannot be synthesized by the human body and must be consumed
amino acid
amino acidWebster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"amino acid." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/amino-acid>.
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amino acid. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/amino-acid
amino acid
noun
Any of various compounds containing an amino group (NH2), a carboxylic acid group (COOH), and a distinctive side chain, especially any of the 20 amino acids that link together to form proteins. Some amino acids (called nonessential) can be synthesized in the human body, while others (called essential) must be obtained through the diet.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"amino acid." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/amino-acid>.
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amino acid. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/amino-acid
Any of a large number of compounds found in living cells that contain carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen, and join together to form proteins. Amino acids contain a basic amino group (NH2) and an acidic carboxyl group (COOH),
both attached to the same carbon atom. Since the carboxyl group has a proton available for binding with the electrons of another atom, and the amino group has electrons available for binding with a proton from another atom, the amino acid behaves as an acid and a base simultaneously. Twenty of the naturally occurring amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, which they form by being connected to each other in chains. Eight of those twenty, called essential amino acids, cannot be synthesized in the cells of humans and must be consumed as part of the diet. The remaining twelve are nonessential amino acids.
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"amino acid." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/amino-acid>.
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amino acid. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/amino-acid
Noun
(plural amino acids)
- (organic chemistry) Any organic compound containing both an amino and a carboxylic acid functional group.
- (biochemistry) Any of the twenty naturally occurring α-amino acids (having the amino, and carboxylic acid groups on the same carbon atom), and a variety of side chains, that combine, via peptide bonds, to form proteins.
- imino acid
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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"amino acid." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/amino-acid>.
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amino acid. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/amino-acid
amino acid - Medical Definition
n.
Any of various compounds containing an amino group (NH2),
a carboxylic acid group (COOH),
and a distinctive side chain, especially any of the 20 amino acids that link together to form proteins. Some amino acids (called nonessential) can be synthesized in the human body, while others (called essential) must be obtained through the diet.
The American Heritage Dictionary of Medicine © 2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"amino acid." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/amino-acid>.
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amino acid. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/amino-acid
