Deaminated

Part of speech: adjective, verb

Definitions

1. Undergoing the process of removing an amino group from a molecule, typically from amino acids or nucleotides, often resulting in the conversion to a different chemical compound
2. Experiencing the chemical reaction in which an amino group is detached from an organic molecule, altering its structure and function, commonly in biochemical transformations
3. Having undergone the elimination of an amino group from a compound, usually facilitating metabolic pathways or molecular degradation in biological systems

Etymology: "Deaminate" is a chemist's word, built in plain steps: the prefix "de-" meaning "remove" or "reverse," attached to "aminate," which is itself built on "amine." The "de-" comes from Latin, where it meant "down from" or "away," and it has long been used in English chemistry to mark the removal of a group from a molecule. The core of the word is "amine." It traces back to "ammonia," named for the Egyptian god Amun, whose Greek name was "Ammon." The salt that gave the substance its name was linked to the god's temple, where ammonia salts were associated with Ammon's worship, and the Latin "ammoniacus" passed the name into European scientific language. Chemists then added the ending "-ine" to the stem "amino-" to name a family of nitrogen-containing compounds, which is how "amine" came about. So "deaminated" describes a molecule from which an amino group, the nitrogen-hydrogen unit built on that ammonia root, has been stripped away. The word is a modern scientific coinage, formed from classical parts, and it reads as a plain instruction: take the amino group off.

Synonyms: desaminated, amino removed

Antonyms: aminated, amino added