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tryptophan

American  
[trip-tuh-fan] / ˈtrɪp təˌfæn /
Also tryptophane

noun

Biochemistry.

  1. an essential amino acid, (C 8 H 6 N)CH 2 CH(NH2 )COOH, colorless, crystalline, and aromatic, released from proteins by tryptic digestion and a precursor of serotonin. Trp; W

tryptophan British  
/ ˈtrɪptəˌfæn /

noun

  1. an essential amino acid; a component of proteins necessary for growth

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
tryptophan Scientific  
/ trĭp′tə-făn′ /

  1. An essential amino acid. Chemical formula: C 11 H 12 N 2 O 2 .

  2. See more at amino acid

Etymology

Origin of tryptophan

1900–05; trypto- (irregular combining form representing Greek trīptós “rubbed”) + -phan(e) ( def. )

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.