Scientific terms can be very difficult to understand. Translating these terms from French to English is even harder! The purpose of this glossary is to get to know the name and meaning of these terms in English.
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)
Noun
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the primary "energy currency" of all living cells.
fr: Adénosine triphosphate (ATP)
amino acid
Noun
Amino acids are organic compounds that serve as the fundamental building blocks of proteins.
fr: acide aminé
Carbohydrate
Noun
Carbohydrates (carbs) are one of the three main macronutrients (along with protein and fat), functioning as the body's primary energy source. Composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, they are broken down into glucose (blood sugar) to fuel cells, tissues, and organs.
(https://www.britannica.com/science/carbohydrate)
fr: Glucides
Cell culture
Noun
Cell culture is a foundational laboratory technique where prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells (animal, plant, or microorganism) are grown and maintained in an artificial, controlled environment outside their natural organism.
Example: Bowerman et al (1992) showed that only P 1 cells had the ability to produce pharyngeal cell in isolation by removing them from the embryo and growing them in CELL CULTURE.
fr: Culture cellulaire
Cellular Respiration
Phrase
Cellular respiration is the essential metabolic process by which living cells convert nutrients, primarily glucose, into usable chemical energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). It requires oxygen to break down food molecules, releasing water and carbon dioxide as waste products while powering life-sustaining cellular activities.
(https://www.britannica.com/science/cellular-respiration)
Example: In the presence of oxygen, pyruvate formed in glycolysis is transported into mitochondria, where it is oxidised by O 2 to CO 2 in a series of oxidative phosphorylation reactions collectively called CELLULAR RESPIRATION.
fr: Respiration cellulaire
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Noun
A molecule that carries the genetic instructions used in the growth, development and functioning of living organisms.
Example: DNA is the molecule responsible for gene transmission.
fr: Acide désoxyribonucléique
Enzyme
Noun
An enzyme is a biological catalyst, usually a protein, produced by living cells to speed up specific biochemical reactions without being consumed in the process.
fr: Enzyme
Eukaryotes
Noun
Eukaryotes are organisms whose cells contain a membrane-bound nucleus and specialized, membrane-bound organelles, distinguishing them from prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea). They include animals, plants, fungi, and protists, which can be single-celled or multicellular. Their DNA is housed within the nucleus, and they use organelles like mitochondria for energy.
(https://www.britannica.com/science/eukaryote#:~:text=eukaryote%2C%20any%20cell%20or%20organism%20that%20possesses,lysosomes%20(digestive%20apparatus%20within%20many%20cell%20types).
fr: Eucaryotes
Fermentation
Noun
Fermentation is a natural metabolic process where microorganisms like bacteria and yeast convert carbohydrates (sugars/starches) into acids or alcohol under anaerobic (oxygen-free) conditions.
Example: White wine production White wines are exclusively produced by the FERMENTATION of grape juice.
fr: Fermentation
Fungi
Noun
Any of a group of spore-producing organisms feeding on organic matter, or the fruiting body of such an organism, e.g. a mushroom.
fr: Champignons
Gene
Noun
A unit of heredity which is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring.
Example: It is the gene, the unit of heredity.
fr: Gène
Genetically modified organism
Phrase
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are living organisms—plants, animals, or microorganisms—whose DNA has been altered using laboratory genetic engineering techniques to introduce, remove, or modify specific traits.
fr: Organisme génétiquement modifié (OGM)
Lipids
Noun
Lipids are a diverse group of water-insoluble, oily, or waxy organic compounds—including fats, oils, hormones, and membrane components—composed primarily of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Essential for life, they function as long-term energy storage, structural components of cell.
(membraneshttps://www.britannica.com/science/lipid#:~:text=Lipids%20are%20found%20in%20many%20different%20forms%2C,contain%20high%20concentrations%20of%20cholesterol%20and%20glycosphingolipids. (phospholipids), signaling molecules, and insulation.).
fr: Lipides
Photosynthesis
Noun
Photosynthesis is the essential biological process by which plants, algae, and certain bacteria convert light energy (sunlight) into chemical energy (sugar), fueling their growth. Using chlorophyll in their cells, these organisms transform carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil into glucose and oxygen.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis)
Example: For PHOTOSYNTHESIS to occur, there needs to be a supply of carbon dioxide, water, and light energy.
fr: Photosynthèse
Plasmid
Noun
A plasmid is a small, circular, double-stranded DNA molecule that is distinct from a cell's chromosomal DNA. Found primarily in bacteria, they replicate independently and often carry genes that provide advantages like antibiotic resistance. Plasmids are vital tools in molecular biology for genetic engineering and transferring genes between cells.
(https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Plasmid)
Example: Genetic modification involves removing a desired gene from one organism and joining the gene onto a PLASMID. The PLASMID and desired gene together are known as recombinant DNA.
fr: Plasmide
Prokaryotes
Noun
Prokaryotes are single-celled microorganisms that lack a distinct nucleus and membrane-bound organelles, distinguishing them from eukaryotes. Divided into Bacteria and Archaea, these simple organisms possess a circular chromosome, reproduce via binary fission, and are generally much smaller than eukaryotic cells.
(https://bccampusbiology.pressbooks.tru.ca/chapter/prokaryotic-cells/#:~:text=Prokaryotic%20cells%20are%20single%2Dcelled%20organisms%20that%20are,capsules%20*%20Flagella%20*%20Pili%20*%20Fimbriae)
fr: Procaryotes
Proteins
Noun
Any of a class of nitrogenous organic compounds that have large molecules composed of one or more long chains of amino acids and are an essential part of all living organisms, especially as structural components of body tissues such as muscle, hair, etc., and as enzymes and antibodies.
Example: Proteins are broken down and their constituent amino acids used to create proteins which function in the human body as structural proteins, enzymes and hormones, amongst others.
fr: Protéines
Ribonucleic acid (RNA)
Noun
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a vital, typically single-stranded nucleic acid present in all living cells and viruses, acting as a "photocopy" of DNA to guide protein synthesis. Composed of ribose sugar, phosphate groups, and bases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, uracil), it translates genetic instructions into functional proteins
(https://www.nature.com/scitable/definition/rna-45/).
fr: Acide ribonucléique (ARN)
Yeasts
Noun
Yeast is a single-celled, microscopic fungus (commonly Saccharomyces cerevisiae) that ferments sugar and starch into carbon dioxide and alcohol.
Example: Freezing does not completely destroy bacteria, molds, and YEASTS but does retard their growth.