A special protein in living things that speeds up chemical reactions in the body, like digesting food or copying DNA. Enzymes make reactions happen faster and more efficiently without being used up themselves.
From Modern Latin *enzymum*, from Greek *enzymos* meaning 'leavened' or 'in yeast', from *en-* 'in' and *zymē* 'leaven, ferment'. Early scientists named them after yeast because they noticed similar fermenting and transforming powers.
Enzymes are like microscopic workers that do almost all the chemistry that keeps you alive, but you never feel them. One enzyme can help the same reaction happen millions of times per second. Without enzymes, your dinner might take years to digest instead of hours.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.