enkephalin

E1N1K5E1P3H4A1L1I1N1

noun

Any of a group of pentapeptide endorphins that have opiate-like effects

OriginAncient Greek ἐγκέφαλος →
UncommonScrabble 19
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Meanings

nounenkephalin (plural enkephalins)

plural enkephalins

  1. biochemistryAny of a group of pentapeptide endorphins that have opiate-like effects

    Some of the more marginal players start in as early as maybe twelve, I'm sorry to say, particularly 'drines before matches and then enkephaline after […]

    1996, David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest […], Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, page 67

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekἐγκέφαλος“brain”
  2. Englishenkephalin

From Ancient Greek ἐγκέφαλος (enképhalos, “brain”) + -in.

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French enképhaline
  • enképhalineTranslations
Greek εγκεφαλίνη
  • εγκεφαλίνη (egkefalíni)Translations
Italian encefalina
  • encefalinaTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

enkephalin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/enkephalin

MLA

“enkephalin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/enkephalin. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “enkephalin,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/enkephalin.

Source: enkephalin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.