n. Any of various water-soluble protein derivatives formed by partial hydrolysis or digestion of proteins by an acid or enzyme, used in culture media in bacteriology. [German Pepton, from Greek peptos, digested, from peptein, to digest; see pekw- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] pep·tonic (-tŏnĭk) adj. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.