Main Entry:

col·la·gen

Pronunciation:

\ˈkä-lə-jən\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Greek kolla + International Scientific Vocabulary -gen

Date:

circa 1865

: any of a group of fibrous proteins that occur in vertebrates as the chief constituent of connective tissue fibrils and in bones and yield gelatin and glue upon boiling with water

— col·lag·e·nous \kə-ˈla-jə-nəs\ adjective