catalysis

[ kuh-tal-uh-sis ]

/ kəˈtæl ə sɪs /

Save This Word!

noun, plural ca·tal·y·ses

[kuh-tal-uh-seez]. /kəˈtæl əˌsiz/.

Chemistry. the causing or accelerating of a chemical change by the addition of a catalyst.

an action between two or more persons or forces, initiated by an agent that itself remains unaffected by the action: social catalyses occasioned by controversial writings.

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of catalysis

1645–55; <New Latin <Greek katálȳsis dissolution, equivalent to katalȳ́(ein) to dissolve (kata-cata- + lȳ́ein to loosen) + -sis-sis

OTHER WORDS FROM catalysis

cat·a·lyt·ic

[kat-l-it-ik], /ˌkæt lˈɪt ɪk/, adjective, nouncat·a·lyt·i·cal, adjectivecat·a·lyt·i·cal·ly, adverban·ti·cat·a·lyt·ic, adjective, noun

an·ti·cat·a·lyt·i·cal·ly, adverbnon·cat·a·lyt·ic, adjective, nounnon·cat·a·lyt·i·cal·ly, adverbself-ca·tal·y·sis, nounsem·i·cat·a·lyt·ic, adjective

Words nearby catalysis

Catalonia, Catalonian, catalpa, catalufa, catalyse, catalysis, catalyst, catalytic, catalytic converter, catalytic cracker, catalytic cracking

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use catalysis in a sentence

We need a catalysis so that positive evolution can take place in a matter of years rather than decades or not at all.
E.O. Wilson Saw the World in a Wholly New Way - Issue 112: Inspiration|David Sloan Wilson|January 5, 2022|Nautilus
The two laureates were rewarded for independently developing a third type of catalysis, which builds upon small organic molecules.
Nobel Prize in chemistry awarded to duo who made a tool to build molecules in an environmentally friendly way|Frances Stead Sellers|October 6, 2021|Washington Post
In 2019, she and some colleagues were working with zeolites, porous materials vital for applications from industrial catalysis to air purification.
Fast forward|Cara Giaimo, SM ’15|April 28, 2021|MIT Technology Review
These days, Korley works closely with experts on topics as wide-ranging as catalysis, enzyme engineering, and manufacturing.
Creating new polymers, and upcycling the old ones|Katie McLean|December 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review

We could regard what is called catalysis solely as an agent in the service of entelechy.
The Science and Philosophy of the Organism|Hans Driesch
He demonstrated the processes of synthesis and auto-catalysis that enabled such small samples to be multiplied indefinitely.
This World Is Taboo|Murray Leinster
The phenomenon known as "catalysis" is of common occurrence in both inorganic and organic chemistry.
The Chemistry of Plant Life|Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher
This latter consideration seems to be the factor of largest influence in colloidal catalysis.
The Chemistry of Plant Life|Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher
Like circulation or respiration, periodic catalysis has its poisons, and exhibits signs of fatigue, and of paralysis by cold.
The Mechanism of Life|Stphane Leduc

British Dictionary definitions for catalysis

catalysis

/ (kəˈtælɪsɪs) /

noun plural -ses (-ˌsiːz)

acceleration of a chemical reaction by the action of a catalyst

Word Origin for catalysis

C17: from New Latin, from Greek katalusis, from kataluein to dissolve

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

Medical definitions for catalysis

catalysis

[ kə-tăl′ĭ-sĭs ]

n. pl. ca•tal•y•ses (-sēz′)

The action of a catalyst, especially an increase in the rate of a chemical reaction.