AMINO ACID

Pronunciation (US):

• AMINO ACID (noun)
  The noun AMINO ACID has 1 sense:

1. organic compounds containing an amino group and a carboxylic acid group

  Familiarity information: AMINO ACID used as a noun is very rare.

• AMINO ACID (noun)

Meaning:

Organic compounds containing an amino group and a carboxylic acid group

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

amino acid; aminoalkanoic acid

Context example:

proteins are composed of various proportions of about 20 common amino acids

Hypernyms ("amino acid" is a kind of...):

organic compound (any compound of carbon and another element or a radical)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "amino acid"):

alanine (a crystalline amino acid that occurs in many proteins)

hydroxyproline (a crystalline amino acid obtained from gelatin or collagen)

iodoamino acid (an amino acid with iodine added)

ornithine (an amino acid that does not occur in proteins but is important in the formation of urea)

proline (an amino acid that is found in many proteins (especially collagen))

creatin; creatine (an amino acid that does not occur in proteins but is found in the muscle tissue of vertebrates both in the free form and as phosphocreatine; supplies energy for muscle contraction)

sarcosine (a sweetish crystalline amino acid)

serine (a sweetish crystalline amino acid involved in the synthesis by the body of cysteine)

thyronine (a phenolic amino acid of which thyroxine is a derivative)

tyramine (amino acid derived from tyrosine; has a sympathomimetic action; found in chocolate and cola drinks and ripe cheese and beer)

glycine (the simplest amino acid found in proteins and the principal amino acid in sugar cane)

glutamine (a crystalline amino acid occurring in proteins; important in protein metabolism)

glutamic acid; glutaminic acid (an amino acid occurring in proteins; important in the nitrogen metabolism of plants; used in monosodium glutamate to enhance the flavor of meats)

asparagine (a crystalline amino acid found in proteins and in many plants (e.g., asparagus))

aspartic acid (a crystalline amino acid found in proteins and occurring naturally in sugar beets and sugar cane)

canavanine (an amino acid found in the jack bean)

citrulline (an amino acid that does not occur in proteins but is an intermediate in the conversion of ornithine to arginine)

cysteine (an amino acid containing sulfur that is found in most proteins; oxidizes on exposure to air to form cystine)

cystine (a crystalline amino acid found in proteins (especially keratin); discovered in bladder stones)

dihydroxyphenylalanine; dopa (amino acid that is formed in the liver and converted into dopamine in the brain)

essential amino acid (an amino acid that is required by animals but that they cannot synthesize; must be supplied in the diet)

GABA; gamma aminobutyric acid (an amino acid that is found in the central nervous system; acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter)

tyrosine (an amino acid found in most proteins; a precursor of several hormones)

Holonyms ("amino acid" is a substance of...):

protein (any of a large group of nitrogenous organic compounds that are essential constituents of living cells; consist of polymers of amino acids; essential in the diet of animals for growth and for repair of tissues; can be obtained from meat and eggs and milk and legumes)