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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Origin and Etymology of papain
International Scientific Vocabulary, from papaya
First Known Use: 1880
Medical Dictionary
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
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