phosphatidyltransferase

noun

An enzyme that catalyzes the transfer of a phosphatidyl group from one molecule to another, involved in lipid metabolism and cell membrane synthesis.

OriginEnglish transferase ← Ancient Greek δῐᾰ́στᾰσῐς (dĭắstăsĭs) ← Proto-Hellenic *hístāmi →
Scrabble 40
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Meanings

nounphosphatidyltransferase (countable and uncountable, plural phosphatidyltransferases)

plural phosphatidyltransferases

  1. countableuncountablebiochemistryAn enzyme that catalyzes the transfer of a phosphatidyl group from one molecule to another, involved in lipid metabolism and cell membrane synthesis.

    Steps that follow the formation of archaeal phospholipids are the activation of CDP-archaeol by CarS […] and head group modification by enzymes of the CPD-alcohol phosphatidyltransferases and by enzymes that are homologues of their bacterial counterparts.

    2016, Pierre Pontarotti, Evolutionary Biology: Convergent Evolution, Evolution of Complex Traits, Concepts and Methods, page 196

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeh₂-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*bʰéh₂os
  3. Proto-Hellenic*pʰáwos
  4. Ancient Greekφᾰ́ος (phắos)
  5. Ancient Greekφῶς (phôs)
  6. Proto-Indo-European*bʰer-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*bʰéreti
  8. Proto-Hellenic*pʰérō
  9. Ancient Greekφέρω (phérō)
  10. Ancient Greekφωσφόρος (phōsphóros)
  11. Latinphōsphorus
  12. Frenchphosphore
  13. Frenchphosphate
  14. Englishphosphate
  15. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
  16. Englishphosphatide
  17. Englishphosphatidate
  18. Proto-Indo-European*swel-der.?
  19. Ancient Greekῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)
  20. Englishphosphatidyl
  21. Proto-Indo-European*terh₂-
  22. Proto-Indo-European*térh₂t
  23. Proto-Indo-European*tr̥h₂ónts
  24. Proto-Indo-European*tr̥h₂n̥ts
  25. Proto-Italic*trāns
  26. Proto-Italic*trāns-
  27. Latintrāns-
  28. Proto-Indo-European*bʰéreti
  29. Proto-Italic*ferō
  30. Latinferō
  31. Latintrānsferō
  32. Englishtransfer
  33. Proto-Indo-European*dwóh₁
  34. Proto-Indo-European*trísinflu.
  35. Proto-Indo-European*dwís
  36. Ancient Greekδιά (diá)
  37. Ancient Greekδῐᾰ- (dĭă-)
  38. Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-
  39. Proto-Indo-European*stísteh₂ti
  40. Proto-Hellenic*hístāmi
  41. Ancient Greekῐ̔́στημῐ (hĭ́stēmĭ)
  42. Ancient Greekδῐῐ̈́στημῐ (dĭĭ̈́stēmĭ)
  43. Ancient Greekδῐᾰ́στᾰσῐς (dĭắstăsĭs)
  44. Englishdiastase
  45. Englishtransferase
  46. Englishphosphatidyltransferase

From phosphatidyl + transferase.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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