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sub·til·i·sin

(sŭb-tĭlĭ-sĭn)

Any of several extracellular enzymes produced by bacteria of the genus Bacillus that catalyze the breakdown of proteins into polypeptides and are widely used in detergents and cleaning products.

[New Latin (Bacillus) subtīlis, bacterial species to which were assigned the bacteria from which a subitilisin was first isolated (now known to be B. amyloliquefaciens); see SUBTILIN + -IN.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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