Definition of "denature" [de•na•ture]

• To change the nature or natural qualities of. (verb-transitive)
• To render unfit to eat or drink without destroying usefulness in other applications, especially to add methanol to (ethyl alcohol). (verb-transitive)
• Biochemistry To cause the tertiary structure of (a protein) to unfold, as with heat, alkali, or acid, so that some of its original properties, especially its biological activity, are diminished or eliminated. (verb-transitive)
• Biochemistry To cause the paired strands of (double-stranded DNA) to separate into individual single strands. (verb-transitive)
• Physics To add nonfissionable matter to (fissionable material) so as to prevent use in an atomic weapon. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "I can determine the rate/frequency with which nucleotides "denature" under a range of conditions that are not biologically relevant."
• "Ben-Gurion University of the Negev engineers have developed a technique to "denature" plutonium created in large nuclear reactors, making it unsuitable for use in nuclear arms."
• "It is much more toxic than ethanol, and in fact is often used to "denature" ethanol."