a mixture of proteolytic enzymes secreted by the small intestine
Word origin
C20 er-, from Latin ēripere to snatch (from rapere to seize) + (p)epsin
erepsin in American English
(iˈrɛpsɪn)
noun
an enzyme mixture once thought to be one enzyme, secreted by the small intestine and involved in the breaking down of proteins into their component amino acids
Word origin
Ger < L ereptus, pp. of eripere, to snatch away (< e-, out + rapere, to snatch: see UNRESOLVED CROSS REF) + Ger pepsin, pepsin