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Glite Dictionary
keratin

keratin

4 6.6
A tough protein in the outer layer of skin and in hair, nails, feathers, and hooves
  • noun
  • /ˈkɛrətɪn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : queratina
  • - We'll show him the keratin analysis first.
  • keratin debris
  • molecular-weight keratin
  • high-molecular-weight keratin

And the nail thing, I guess it would just be keratin, right?

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Examples

  • They are composed largely of keratin, and so the same protein that, for example, makes up our nails or our hair.

  • The middle ear must be free of keratin debris.

    Academic text (2006)

  • We do not know how the keratin reached the ear.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Poultry feathers contain 90% of their total weight as keratin, which gives the material its characteristic light but rigid structure.

    Academic text (2018)

  • Most of these reptiles have thick scales covered in keratin, the same material that makes up nails and claws.

  • The rattle consists of hollow, interlocked segments made of keratin, the same substance that makes our nails and hair.

  • Unlike deer, pronghorn have forked horns made of keratin, not antlers, which are bone.

    Academic text (2007)

  • The final pathology report identified the mass as keratin debris with focal acute inflammatory exudate.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Photomicrograph of the cholesteatoma shows stratified squamous epithelium and overlying lamellar sheets of keratin (H&E, original magnification x 10).

    Academic text (2009)

  • Nails are unique structures formed of keratin, just like hair and the superficial skin layers.

Surface Forms

keratin singular
keratins plural

Morphology

keratin = kerat + in

Formed from the combining form 'kerat-' (not a standalone English word) plus the protein-forming suffix '-in', producing a specialised scientific term that an average B1 learner cannot derive from known English words.

Etymology

The word keratin comes from the Greek word keras, meaning 'horn'. That is a helpful image because keratin is the tough protein that makes horns, hair, nails and feathers, so thinking of 'horn' helps you remember it is a hard, protective material.