A protein that speeds up chemical reactions in living cells without being used up itself; a biological catalyst.
From German 'Enzym' (coined 1878), from Greek 'en-' (in) + 'zymē' (leaven or ferment). The word originally meant something 'in fermentation,' capturing how these proteins work within cells.
Enzymes are the invisible workers of life—your saliva has enzymes breaking down food right now, your stomach has different ones, and your liver has hundreds more—they're why life is even possible at the molecular level.
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