catabolize

American  

[kuh-tab-uh-lahyz] / kəˈtæb əˌlaɪz /

especially British, catabolise

verb (used with object)

catabolized, catabolizing

1. to cause (a nutrient or other substance) to undergo catabolism.

---

verb (used without object)

catabolized, catabolizing

1. to be subjected to catabolism.

Etymology

Origin of catabolize

First recorded in 1925–30; catabol(ism) + -ize

Example Sentences

Bile contains bile salts which emulsify lipids while the pancreas produces enzymes that catabolize starches, disaccharides, proteins, and fats.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

If the cell cannot catabolize the pyruvate molecules further, it will harvest only two ATP molecules from one molecule of glucose.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

The fats undoubtedly catabolize first by hydrolysis into glycerol and fatty acids, and then by oxidation possibly first into carbohydrates and then finally into the end-products of oxidation, namely, carbon dioxide and water.

From The Chemistry of Plant Life by Thatcher, Roscoe Wilfred