nonprotein
|non-pro-tein|
🇺🇸
/ˌnɑnˈproʊtiːn/
🇬🇧
/ˌnɒnˈprəʊtiːn/
not a protein; lacking protein
Etymology
'nonprotein' originates from English, specifically formed from the negative prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non', meaning 'not') combined with the noun 'protein' (from New Latin 'proteina' / Greek 'proteios').
'protein' was coined in the early 19th century (New Latin 'proteina' from Greek 'proteios' meaning 'primary') to name the major class of biological molecules; the productive prefix 'non-' was later attached in modern scientific English to form the compound 'nonprotein'.
Initially, the root 'proteios' conveyed the sense 'primary' and 'protein' came to denote the essential biological macromolecules; 'nonprotein' has consistently meant 'not protein' as a simple negation of that term.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a substance or component that is not a protein (often used collectively to refer to nonprotein compounds in a mixture).
The analysis identified several nonprotein compounds that contributed to the sample's properties.
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Adjective 1
not a protein; not composed of or not relating to protein (used especially in scientific contexts, e.g., 'nonprotein nitrogen').
Nonprotein nitrogen compounds such as urea and ammonia were measured in the sample.
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Last updated: 2025/09/03 15:25