Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A secondary structure of proteins, characterized by a single, spiral chain of amino acids stabilized by hydrogen bonds.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A secondary structure found in many proteins, where the amino acids are arranged in a coil, or helix, with almost no free space on the inside and all side chains being pointed towards the outside.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From alpha-form, the form taken by unstretched protein molecules.]

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