Hordein
/ˈhɔːr.di.ɪn/noun
A storage protein found in the seeds of barley and a major component of barley gluten.
Did you know?Hordein is one reason barley is unsuitable for most gluten-free diets, while its scientific name preserves barley’s ancient Latin identity: Hordeum.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Latin
Latin
hordeum
“barley”
Late Antiquity–Middle Ages
Latin
Hordeum
“the botanical name used for the barley genus”
18th Century
Botanical Latin
Hordeum vulgare
“the scientific name for cultivated barley”
19th Century
Scientific English
hordein
“a barley-derived protein, formed from Hordeum with the chemical suffix -in”
Modern English
English
hordein
“the principal storage protein of barley seeds”
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