kāˈsēn, ˈkāˌsēn, ˈkāsēə̇n noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: probably from French caséine, from Latin caseus cheese + French -ine -in — more at cheese
: any of various phosphoproteins characteristic of the milk of mammals: as
a. : the phosphoprotein occurring as a colloidal suspension in milk — called also caseinogen
b. : the phosphoprotein that is precipitated as a cream-colored to light yellow curd from milk (as skim milk from a cow) by heating with an acid (as sulfuric acid) or by the action of lactic acid formed in the milk by souring and that is used chiefly in coating paper, in making cold-water and emulsion paints, adhesives, and synthetic fibers, and as an emulsifying and stabilizing agent — called also acid casein
c. : the phosphoprotein produced when milk is curdled by rennet and precipitated as a calcium compound in the form of a cream-colored curd that constitutes the principal protein of cheese and is used also in making casein plastics — called also paracasein, rennet casein