n. A protein, similar to collagen, found in connective tissue, that has elastic properties.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. A nitrogenous substance, somewhat resembling albumin, which forms the chemical basis of elastic tissue. It is very insoluble in most fluids, but is gradually dissolved when digested with either pepsin or trypsin.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. In chem., a body closely resembling albumen, except that it is free from sulphur, forming the principal substance of the elastic fiber which is the characteristic constituent of certain tissues.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. a fibrous scleroprotein found in elastic tissues such as the walls of arteries
Word Usage
"My thesis involved the amino acid analysis of the protein elastin, which was then thought to play a role in coronary artery disease and I completed the requirements for my degree at Columbia late in 1937 and went directly to the laboratory of Max Bergmann at the Rockefeller Institute."