# pepsin

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpɛpsɪn/

## Definitions
1. A digestive enzyme that chemically digests, or breaks down, proteins into shorter chains of amino acids.

## Etymology
From German Pepsin, corresponding to Ancient Greek πέψις (pépsis, “digestion”) + -in.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/pepsin