tryptophan
pronunciation
How to pronounce tryptophan in British English:
UK ['trɪptəfæn]
How to pronounce tryptophan in American English:
US ['trɪptəˌfæn]
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- Noun:
- an amino acid that occurs in proteins; is essential for growth and normal metabolism; a precursor of niacin
Word Origin
- tryptophan (n.)
- also tryptophane, complex amino acid, 1890, coined in German (1876) from trypto-, taken as a comb. form of tryptic "by trypsin" (see trypsin) + Greek phainein "to appear" (see phantasm).
Example
- 1. Turkey meat is an excellent source for tryptophan .
- 2. She rates dozens of foods for their levels of tryptophan .
- 3. High pressure effects on protein flexibility as monitored by tryptophan phosphorescence .
- 4. Similarly , a warm milky drink at bedtime works very well as milk is high in tryptophan .
- 5. One of the best natural sedatives is tryptophan , an amino acid component of many plant and animal proteins .