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• lytic
  lytic

  adjective

  of, noting, or pertaining to lysis or a lysin.
• -lytic
  -lytic

  a combining form occurring in adjectives that correspond to nouns ending in -lysis:

lytic

¹ American  

[lit-ik] / ˈlɪt ɪk /

adjective

1. of, noting, or pertaining to lysis or a lysin.

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-lytic ² American  

1. a combining form occurring in adjectives that correspond to nouns ending in -lysis:

   analytic; paralytic.

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lytic ¹ British  

/ ˈlɪtɪk /

adjective

1. relating to, causing, or resulting from lysis

2. of or relating to a lysin

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-lytic ² British  

combining form

1. indicating a loosening or dissolving

   paralytic

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Usage

What does -lytic mean? The combining form -lytic is used like a suffix meaning “of or relating to breaking down, loosening, decomposition.” The form -lytic denotes adjectives that correspond to nouns ending in -lysis. It is occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in medicine. The form -lytic comes from Greek lytikós, meaning “able to loosen.”What are variants of -lytic?The suffix -lytic is related to the combining forms -lyse, -lyze, and -lyte. The forms -lyse and -lyze are used to form verbs relating to nouns ending in -lysis, as in analyze. The form -lyte denotes something subjected to a noun ending in -lysis, as in electrolyte. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for those forms.

Etymology

Origin of lytic¹

First recorded in 1885–90, lytic is from the Greek word lytikós able to loosen. See -lyte ¹, -ic

Origin of -lytic²

see origin at lytic