-lysis
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Tweet suff. Decomposition; dissolving; disintegration: hydrolysis. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
n. pl. ly·ses (-sēz) 1. Biochemistry The dissolution or destruction of cells, such as blood cells or bacteria, as by the action of a specific lysin that disrupts the cell membrane. 2. Medicine The gradual subsiding of the symptoms of an acute disease. [New Latin, from Latin, a loosening, from Greek lusis, from lūein, to loosen; see leu- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.