Main Entry: col·la·gen

Pronunciation: \ˈkäl-ə-jən\

Function: noun

: an insoluble fibrous protein of vertebrates that is the chief constituent of the fibrils of connective tissue (as in skin and tendons) and of the organic substance of bones and yields gelatin and glue on prolonged heating with water

—col·la·gen·ic \ˌkäl-ə-ˈjen-ik\ adjective

—col·lag·e·nous \kə-ˈlaj-ə-nəs\ adjective