Glycine
/ˈɡlaɪ.siːn/noun
The simplest amino acid, used by living organisms to build proteins and other important molecules.
Did you know?Glycine was named from Greek glykys, “sweet,” because the first compounds in this family were associated with sweet-tasting substances, not because the amino acid itself is sugary.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
glykys
“sweet”
19th Century
French
glycine
“the amino acid name, coined in scientific Latin/French usage from Greek roots”
19th Century
English
glycine
“the simplest amino acid, so named in chemistry”
Modern English
English
glycine
“the amino acid with the side chain H”