Definitions

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

  • noun The fibrous protein constituent of bone, cartilage, tendon, and other connective tissue. It is converted into gelatin by boiling.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun etc. See collagen, etc.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Physiol. Chem.) The chemical basis of ordinary connective tissue, as of tendons or sinews and of bone. On being boiled in water it becomes gelatin or glue.

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

  • noun biochemistry Any of more than 28 types of glycoprotein that forms elongated fibers, usually found in the extracellular matrix of connective tissue.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a fibrous scleroprotein in bone and cartilage and tendon and other connective tissue; yields gelatin on boiling

Etymologies

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

[Greek kolla, glue + –gen.]

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Examples

  • The structure was grown using about 100,000 beads of the connective protein collagen, seeded with cells from a human liver cancer culture and tipped into a body-shaped mould.

    Monday gingerdoss 2009

  • Burd DAR, Longaker MT, Adzick NS, Harrison MR, Ehrlich HP: Fetal wound healing in a large animal model: The deposition of collagen is confirmed.

    CHOP scarless fetal wound healing publications 2010

  • Although some people see results immediately, the results get better over a three to six month time period, as new collagen is formed and the skin tightens.

    Leaf and Rusher Medical Skin Care Clinic – Unequalled Expertise in the MedSpa World 2006

  • The cooking time — at least two hours — requires meat high in collagen, with well-exercised muscle and an agreeably strong flavor.

    Principled Pork 2004

  • The cooking time — at least two hours — requires meat high in collagen, with well-exercised muscle and an agreeably strong flavor.

    Principled Pork 2004

  • After all, we're through what you called the collagen jungle. "

    Destination Brain Asimov, Isaac 1987

  • Many pitmasters have long believed that the stall was caused by a protein called collagen in the meat being combining with water and converting to flavorful and slippery textured gelatin.

    Physicist Cracks BBQ Mystery 2011

  • "Your collagen is the same as my collagen, down to the last amino acid," said Dr. Niklason.

    Scientists Build a Rat Lung 2010

  • For example, your hair and and your skin feel very different, but they're both made of a protein called collagen, but with different modifications.

    Kirk Cameron attempts to debunk Darwin 2009

  • This marine collagen, which is cultivated from sea kelp, is an ingredient he has uniquely come upon and as such has a patent pending.

    Paige Donner: Greening Hollywood: Eco-Salons of Hollywood 2008

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