Dechlorinase

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An enzyme that catalyzes the removal of chlorine atoms from chemical compounds
2. A biological catalyst responsible for detaching chlorine atoms from molecules
3. A protein that facilitates the chemical process of eliminating chlorine groups from substances

Etymology: Dechlorinase is a plain technical coinage, built from three parts: the prefix "de-" meaning "removal of," the element name "chlorine," and the suffix "-ase," which chemists use to name enzymes. The name simply describes the job: an enzyme that strips chlorine away from a molecule. The "-ase" ending is the key to the word's logic. It was adopted from the pattern of earlier enzyme names, so that a reader can recognize a protein's catalytic role from its name alone. Here the enzyme acts on chlorinated compounds, removing chlorine atoms from them. The word therefore has no older history of its own. It belongs to the vocabulary of biochemistry, where scientists assemble names from existing elements of the language to describe newly identified substances.

Synonyms: chlorine remover, chloride enzyme