tenderizer

verb (used with object), ten·der·ized, ten·der·iz·ing.

1. to make (meat) tender, as by pounding or by a chemical process or treatment.

noun

1. a substance, such as the plant enzyme papain, rubbed onto meat to soften the fibres and make it more tender

verb

1. (tr) to make (meat) tender by pounding it to break down the fibres, by steeping it in a marinade, or by treating it with a tenderizer

n.1942, agent noun from tenderize. v.1733, from tender + -ize. Specifically of food, recorded by 1935, originally American English. Related: Tenderized; tenderizing.