biolysis

American

[bahy-ol-uh-sis] / baɪˈɒl ə sɪs /

noun

Biology.

disintegration of organic matter through the biochemical action of living organisms, as bacteria.

biolysis British

/ ˌbaɪəˈlɪtɪk, baɪˈɒlɪsɪs /

noun

the death and dissolution of a living organism
the disintegration of organic matter by the action of bacteria etc

"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

biolytic adjective

Etymology

Origin of biolysis

From New Latin, dating back to 1895–1900; bio-, -lysis

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

These processes are known to be reversible, in that some of these peculiar energies cause physico-chemical changes in their own base; the process involved I propose to call biolysis, as I propose to call biolyte the substances produced.

From Project Gutenberg

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