papain

noun

pa·pa·in | \ pə-ˈpā-ən ,

-ˈpī-ən

Definition of papain

: a protease in the juice of unripe papaya that is used especially as a tenderizer for meat and in medicine (as in the topical debridement of necrotic tissue)

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And the smaller events, in many cases, produced genes associated with being carnivorous — like the ones that make papain, an enzyme in meat tenderizer. — Joanna Klein, New York Times, "Genetic Tidying Up Made Humped Bladderworts Into Carnivorous Plants," 19 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'papain.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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The first known use of papain was in 1880

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papain

noun

pa·pa·in | \ pə-ˈpā-ən ,

-ˈpī-

Medical Definition of papain

: a crystallizable protease in the juice of the green fruit of the papaya obtained usually as a brownish powder and used chiefly as a tenderizer for meat and in medicine as a digestant and as a topical agent in the debridement of necrotic tissue