Iodinase

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An enzyme that speeds up chemical reactions involving iodine, particularly within living organisms such as the thyroid or certain bacteria
2. A biological catalyst that accelerates the incorporation or removal of iodine in organic compounds, found in various organisms
3. A protein that promotes reactions in which iodine atoms are added to or taken from molecules inside cells

Etymology: Iodinase is a compound built from "iodine" and the suffix "-ase," which chemists use to name enzymes. The enzyme name thus says what it works on: an enzyme acting on iodine. The suffix itself was taken from "diastase," the first enzyme to be isolated, and the "-ase" ending became the standard pattern for naming enzymes in general. Iodine's name comes from the Greek "iodes," meaning violet-coloured, a reference to the vapour the element gives off when heated. Because the element was named for that colour, the enzyme's name ties back to a Greek word for violet. Iodinase enzymes are not a single well-defined family, so the name describes a function rather than a fixed molecular identity. Its meaning is transparent to anyone who knows the two parts, which is why the coinage works so plainly.