n. pl. locÂ·ules or locÂ·uÂ·li (-lÄ«â²). A small cavity or compartment within an organ or part of an animal or plant, as any of the cavities within a plant ovary. [Latin.
Competitive inhibition is a form of enzyme inhibition where binding of the inhibitor to the active site on the enzyme prevents binding of the substrate and vice versa. Most competitive inhibitors function by binding reversibly to the active site of the enzyme.
Ie. the rate at which the enzyme does its thing (Vmax) will go down. Now you have a competitive inhibitor. Remember Km is the value which tells us the affinity for the enzyme to the substrate. In competitive inhibition there is something other than the original substrate binding to the enzymes' active site.