amino acids

[ (uh-mee-noh) ]


Basic organic molecules (see also organic molecule) that combine to form proteins. Amino acids are made up of hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen. Some examples of amino acids are lysine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan.

Notes for amino acids

Amino acids are the basic molecular building blocks of proteins.

Words Nearby amino acids

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

How to use amino acids in a sentence

  • The different proteins differ in regard to the different types of amino acids which they contain.

  • These transformed substances are known as amino acids, the production of which is a result of digestion in the digestive tract.

    Dietetics for Nurses | Fairfax T. Proudfit
  • It is not known whether there is any similar relation of amino-acids to the functions of different proteins in plant metabolism.

    The Chemistry of Plant Life | Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher
  • Hence, the number of possible combinations of amino-acids into protein molecules is very great.

    The Chemistry of Plant Life | Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher