denature

See also: dénature and dénaturé

English

Alternative forms

• denaturise

Etymology

Borrowed from French dénaturer. By surface analysis, de- +‎ nature.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /diːˈneɪtjə(ɹ)/, /diːˈneɪt͡ʃə(ɹ)/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (Northern England) IPA^(key): /diːˈnɛː.t͡ʃɐ/
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /diˈneɪ̯.t͡ʃəɹ/
• (Australian, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /diːˈnæɪ̯.t͡ʃə/
• Rhymes: -eɪtjə(ɹ), -eɪtʃə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: de‧na‧ture

Verb

denature (third-person singular simple present denatures, present participle denaturing, simple past and past participle denatured)

1. (transitive) To take away a natural characteristic or inherent property of (a thing or a person).

   Synonym: denaturalize

2. (transitive) To add something to (alcohol) that makes it unsuitable for consumption but leaves it suitable for most other purposes.

   While you cannot drink denatured alcohol, you can still use it to remove sticker glue from most surfaces.

3. (transitive, intransitive, biochemistry) To alter its original form or state, especially of a protein, by heat, acidity etc.

   Antonym: renature

   • 2004, Harold McGee, chapter 12, in On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, Scribner, →ISBN:

     Sugars are wonderfully robust materials! Unlike proteins that easily denature and coagulate, unlike fats that are damaged by air and heat and go rancid, unlike starch chains that break apart into smaller chains of glucose molecules, sugars themselves are small and stable molecules.

   • 2004, Harold McGee, chapter 15, in On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, Scribner, →ISBN:

     Because the activity of an enzyme depends on its structure, any change in that structure will destroy its effectiveness. So cooking foods sufficiently will denature and inactivate any enzymes they may contain.

4. (transitive, intransitive, biochemistry) Of double-stranded DNA, specifically to split into two single strands.

   Antonym: renature

6. (usually transitive, nuclear physics) To combine fissile material with nonfissile material in order to prevent its use in an atomic weapon.

   Hyponym: downblend

Derived terms

• codenature
• denatonium
• denaturability
• denaturable
• denaturant
• denaturation
• denaturer
• denaturization
• denaturize
• nondenaturing

Translations

to take away a natural characteristic of

• Catalan: desnaturar (ca), desnaturalitzar (ca)
• Czech: please add this translation if you can
• Danish: denaturere
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: tehdä luonnottomaksi
• French: dénaturer (fr)
• German: please add this translation if you can
• Ido: please add this translation if you can
• Interlingua: please add this translation if you can
• Persian: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: czynić mniej naturalnym impf, uczynić mniej naturalnym pf
• Spanish: desnaturalizar (es)
• Volapük: please add this translation if you can

to add substance to make unsuitable for consumption

• Catalan: please add this translation if you can
• Czech: denaturovat impf or pf
• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: denaturoida (fi)
• French: please add this translation if you can
• German: vergällen (de)
• Ido: please add this translation if you can
• Interlingua: please add this translation if you can
• Persian: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: denaturować impf
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Volapük: please add this translation if you can

to subject a protein to conditions altering its original form

• Catalan: please add this translation if you can
• Czech: please add this translation if you can
• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: denaturoida (fi)
• French: dénaturer (fr)
• German: denaturieren (de)
• Ido: please add this translation if you can
• Interlingua: please add this translation if you can
• Persian: واسرشتن (fa) (vâsereštan)
• Polish: denaturować impf
• Spanish: desnaturalizar (es)
• Volapük: please add this translation if you can

Further reading

• “denature”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• underate, undereat

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [deː.naːˈtuː.rɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [de.naˈtuː.re]
• Hyphenation: dē‧nā‧tū‧re

Participle

dēnātūre

1. vocative masculine singular of dēnātūrus