protein
Pluralproteins (some meanings)
- 1One of the three main kinds of food the body uses for energy and growth, found in meat, eggs, and beans.
Like bricks for building: your body uses it to grow and fix itself.
Beans and eggs are good sources of protein.
Athletes often eat extra protein to build muscle.
Note
- 2A large natural molecule made of long chains of tiny building blocks called amino acids.
Like a long string of beads, where each bead is a small part called an amino acid.
Your muscles are built from many tiny proteins.
A protein is far too small to see without a microscope.
Note
- 3A food, usually meat or a meat substitute, that is high in protein.
Like the main part of a meal that everything else is built around.
Pick a protein, like chicken or beans, to go with your rice.
This meal needs a protein to keep you full.
Note
Practice
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Origin
It comes from proto- plus -ein. The word was based on Ancient Greek prōteîos meaning 'primary', from prôtos meaning 'first'.