denature

present singular third person denatures · participle present denaturing · participle past denatured · past denatured · alternative denaturise

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

   Synonyms: denaturalize

2. transitiveTo 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. intransitivetransitivebiochemistryTo alter its original form or state, especially of a protein, by heat, acidity etc.

   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.

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

   1 more example

   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 12, in On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, Scribner, →ISBN

   Antonyms: renature

4. intransitivetransitivebiochemistryOf double-stranded DNA, specifically to split into two single strands.

   Antonyms: renature

5. transitiveusuallynuclear physicsTo combine fissile material with nonfissile material in order to prevent its use in an atomic weapon.