Definition of "denature"

denature

/diːˈneɪtjə(ɹ)/

verb
third-person singular simple present denatures, present participle denaturing, simple past and past participle denatured
1. (transitive) To take away a natural characteristic or inherent property of (a thing or a person).
2. (transitive) To add something to (alcohol) that makes it unsuitable for consumption but leaves it suitable for most other purposes.
3. (transitive, intransitive, biochemistry) To alter its original form or state, especially of a protein, by heat, acidity etc.
  Quotations
  Sugars are wonderfully robust materials! Unlike proteins that easily denature and coagulate, unlike fats that are damaged by air and heat and go rancid, unlike starch chains that break apart into smaller chains of glucose molecules, sugars themselves are small and stable molecules.
  2004, Harold McGee, chapter 12, in On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, Scribner
  Because the activity of an enzyme depends on its structure, any change in that structure will destroy its effectiveness. So cooking foods sufficiently will denature and inactivate any enzymes they may contain.
  2004, Harold McGee, chapter 15, in On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, Scribner
4. To combine fissile material with nonfissile material in order to prevent its use in an atomic weapon.