the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. The antecedent of trypsin, a substance which is contained in the cells of the pancreas and gives rise to the trypsin.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. A substance excreted by the pancreas which becomes converted during intestinal digestion into trypsin.
n. A granular substance in the cells of the pancreas which is the antecedent of trypsin.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. inactive precursor of trypsin; a substance secreted by the pancreas and converted to active trypsin by enterokinase in the small intestine
Word Usage
"The intact gland contains an inactive precursor trypsinogen, which is converted into the protein-dissolving enzyme trypsin only by contact with duodenal juice."