Amino acid

any of a cl-ss of organic compounds that contains at least one amino group, –nh 2 , and one carboxyl group, –cooh: the alpha-amino acids, rch(nh 2)cooh, are the building blocks from which proteins are constructed.
contemporary examples

eggs, he says, are a good source of cysteine, an amino acid that helps the liver break down alcohol faster.
5 hangover cures to save you after a few too many dailyburn december 18, 2014

unlike coffee, tea has an amino acid that is -ssociated with calmness: theanine.
forget 5-hour energy: tea is a better buzz gregory ferenstein july 21, 2014

historical examples

to make human protein we must not only have all the amino acid ingredients, but we must also have enough of every one.
physiology ernest g. martin

it is not always possible to specify exactly how much of a mineral, a vitamin, or an amino acid a person requires for good health.
when you don’t know where to turn steven j. bartlett

noun
any of a group of organic compounds containing one or more amino groups, -nh2, and one or more carboxyl groups, -cooh. the alpha-amino acids rch(nh2)cooh (where r is either hydrogen or an organic group) are the component molecules of proteins; some can be synthesized in the body (nonessential amino acids) and others cannot and are thus essential components of the diet (essential amino acids)

amino acid n.
abbr. aa
any of various organic acids containing both an amino group and a carboxyl group, especially any of the 20 or more compounds that link together to form proteins.
amino acid
any of a large number of compounds found in living cells that contain carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen, and join together to form proteins. amino acids contain a basic amino group (nh2) and an acidic carboxyl group (cooh), both attached to the same carbon atom. since the carboxyl group has a proton available for binding with the electrons of another atom, and the amino group has electrons available for binding with a proton from another atom, the amino acid behaves as an acid and a base simultaneously. twenty of the naturally occurring amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, which they form by being connected to each other in chains. eight of those twenty, called essential amino acids, cannot be synthesized in the cells of humans and must be consumed as part of the diet. the remaining twelve are nonessential amino acids.