Plural of gluten; proteins found in grains like wheat that give dough its elastic, stretchy quality.
From Latin gluten meaning 'glue.' The word entered English in the 1600s to describe the sticky protein substance in grain. The plural form simply adds the standard -s ending.
Gluten gets its name because it literally acts like glue—it's what makes bread dough hold together and rise. Interestingly, gluten sensitivity only became a widespread health concern in modern times, partly because wheat breeding in the 1960s increased gluten content for better baking properties.
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