First Known Use: circa 1889
Dictionary
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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Origin of PAPAIN
International Scientific Vocabulary, from papaya
Medical Dictionary
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
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