see protease

an enzyme which catalyses the reaction of proteins with water (hydrolysis) to yield smaller chains of amino acids (peptides) and/or individual amino acids.

An enzyme whose main catalytic function is the digestion of a protein or polypeptide chain. The digestive enzymes trypsin, pepsin, and carboxypeptidase are all proteolytic enzymes (proteases).

any enzyme that catalyzes the splitting of proteins into smaller peptide fractions and amino acids by a process known as proteolysis

An enzyme that hydrolyzes complex proteins into simpler soluble proteins.