autolysis

American

[aw-tol-uh-sis] / ɔˈtɒl ə sɪs /

noun

Biochemistry.

the breakdown of plant or animal tissue by the action of enzymes contained in the tissue affected; self-digestion.

autolysis British

/ ɔːˈtɒlɪsɪs, ˌɔːtəˈlɪtɪk /

noun

the destruction of cells and tissues of an organism by enzymes produced by the cells themselves

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

autolytic

adjective

Etymology

Origin of autolysis

First recorded in 1900–05; auto- ¹ + -lysis

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023