Word of the Day
ἔνζυμον
Enzymon
Greek (coined 1877)
English pronunciation/ˈɛnzaɪm/German original/ɛnˈtsyːm/
“The word 'enzyme' was invented in 1877 by a German physiologist who combined two Greek words meaning 'in yeast' — because the first enzymes discovered were the ones that made beer.”
Enzyme was coined in 1877 by Wilhelm Kühne, a German physiologist working at the University of Heidelberg. He took the Greek words en (in) and zymē (leaven, yeast) to create enzymon — 'that which is in yeast.' The word was needed because scientists had discovered that yeast contained substances that could cause chemical reactions (like fermentation) without being alive themselves. The enzyme was the active ingredient inside the yeast.
4 stops · from Heidelberg, Germany to Global