amino acid

noun, Biochemistry

any of a class of organic compounds that contains at least one amino group, –NH ₂ , and one carboxyl group, –COOH: the alpha-amino acids, RCH(NH ₂)COOH, are the building blocks from which proteins are constructed.

Compare essential amino acid.

Origin

1895-1900

Examples from the web for amino acids

Because amino acids have a slight electrical charge, they are pulled through the tube.
Proteins are made up of amino acids, some that are attracted to water, others that are repelled by water.
They re-supply the body with carbohydrates, usually antioxidants and sometimes amino acids and caffeine.
amino acids are the key building blocks of proteins.
The reduced population size sometimes causes mutations that can alter amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.
amino acids in the pollen extend the animal's life, giving it extra weeks to breed.
Linear sequences of amino acids that are the building blocks of cells.
But it isn't digital but discrete, producing sequences of amino acids at decoding.
The proteins of barnacle glue, they discovered, are dominated by amino acids called proline and isoleucine.
Proteins are complicated chemicals made of long chains of amino acids, the tiny chemical building blocks of life.

British Dictionary definitions for amino acids

amino acid

noun

any of a group of organic compounds containing one or more amino groups, -NH2, and one or more carboxyl groups, -COOH. The alpha-amino acids RCH(NH2)COOH (where R is either hydrogen or an organic group) are the component molecules of proteins; some can be synthesized in the body (nonessential amino acids) and others cannot and are thus essential components of the diet (essential amino acids)

amino acids in Medicine

amino acid n.
Abbr. AA
Any of various organic acids containing both an amino group and a carboxyl group, especially any of the 20 or more compounds that link together to form proteins.

amino acids in Science

amino acid
Any of a large number of compounds found in living cells that contain carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen, and join together to form proteins. Amino acids contain a basic amino group (NH₂) and an acidic carboxyl group (COOH), both attached to the same carbon atom. Since the carboxyl group has a proton available for binding with the electrons of another atom, and the amino group has electrons available for binding with a proton from another atom, the amino acid behaves as an acid and a base simultaneously. Twenty of the naturally occurring amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, which they form by being connected to each other in chains. Eight of those twenty, called essential amino acids, cannot be synthesized in the cells of humans and must be consumed as part of the diet. The remaining twelve are nonessential amino acids.

amino acids in Culture

amino acids [(uh-mee-noh)]

Basic organic molecules 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.

Note: Amino acids are the basic molecular building blocks of proteins.