chief digestive enzyme of pancreatic juice, 1876, coined 1874 by German physiologist Wilhelm Friedrich Kühne (1837-1900), apparently from Greek tripsis "rubbing, friction" (from tribein "to rub, rub down, wear away," from PIE root *tere- (1) "to rub, turn, twist" (see throw, v.) + chemical suffix -in(2). Said to be so called because it first was obtained (in 1862) by rubbing the pancreas with glycerin.