noun
Chaplin
CHAP-lihn
noun
1
A type of bacterial protein that assembles into thin fibril structures rather than coiling up.
"Researchers studied chaplins to understand how some bacteria form tough surface coatings."
How to Use Chaplin
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA surname (famously Charlie Chaplin), and a technical term for a bacterial fiber-forming protein.
Word Forms
Chaplins plural, chaplins plural
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Etymology
As a surname, from Middle English "chapelain" (chaplain), an occupational name; the protein term borrows the surname (echoing Charlie Chaplin) as a scientific label.