Gluten
/ˈɡluːtən/noun
A protein complex found in wheat, barley, and rye that gives dough its elasticity.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin *gluten*, meaning “glue” or “sticky substance,” and it entered scientific English through the chemistry of flour and dough, not mysticism.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*glei-
“to be sticky, to adhere”
Latin
Latin
gluten
“glue; sticky substance”
Late Latin
Latin
glutēn
“glue, especially a viscous or adhesive matter”
16th Century
English
gluten
“a sticky substance; later, the nitrogenous substance in flour”
Modern English
English
gluten
“the elastic protein complex in cereal grains”