protein
noun
Simple meaning
One of three major classes of food or source of food energy abundant in animal-derived foods and some vegetables, such as legumes.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
prohteenSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈpɹoʊtin
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
nutritionuncountable
One of three major classes of food or source of food energy (4 kcal/gram) abundant in animal-derived foods (meat) and some vegetables, such as legumes.
nutritioncountable
A food rich in protein, often a meat or meat substitute.
biochemistrycountable
Any of numerous large, complex naturally-produced molecules composed of one or more long chains of amino acids, in which the amino acid groups are held together by peptide bonds.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (nutrition, uncountable) One of three major classes of food or source of food energy (4 kcal/gram) abundant in animal-derived foods (meat) and some vegetables, such as legumes.
Used this way, protein is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It suits reflective writing more than quick conversation.
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Slightly formal
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Rich and abundant
- Usage feel
- Reflective and slightly elevated
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use protein
- “A diet high in protein.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The process whereby a protein molecule assumes its intricate three-dimensional shape.
Any large molecule containing chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds.
A diet high in plant and animal proteins.
A protein that contains iodine.
Antiseptic consisting of a compound of protein and silver (trade name Argyrol).
Any of the proteins in blood plasma.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Any enzyme that catalyzes the splitting of proteins into smaller peptide fractions and amino acids by a process known as proteolysis.
A lipoprotein that transports cholesterol in the blood.
A lipoprotein that transports cholesterol in the blood.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.