cytolysis

American

[sahy-tol-uh-sis] / saɪˈtɒl ə sɪs /

noun

Physiology.

the dissolution or degeneration of cells.

cytolysis British

/ saɪˈtɒlɪsɪs /

noun

cytology the dissolution of cells, esp by the destruction of their membranes

"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

cytolytic

adjective

Etymology

Origin of cytolysis

First recorded in 1905–10; cyto- + -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.

See Examples For:

cytolysis

The writer believes that the subsequent treatment of the egg with hypertonic sea-water is needed only to overcome the destructive effects of this partial cytolysis.

From Darwin and Modern Science by A. C. (Albert Charles) Seward

Many pathologists assume that haemolysis or cytolysis is due to a liquefaction of certain fatty or fat-like compounds, the so-called lipoids, in the cell.

From Darwin and Modern Science by A. C. (Albert Charles) Seward

It is well known that the blood corpuscles, as a rule, undergo cytolysis if injected into the blood of an animal which belongs to a different family.

From Darwin and Modern Science by A. C. (Albert Charles) Seward

Some substance contained in the blood causes, presumably, a superficial cytolysis of the egg and thus starts its development.

From Darwin and Modern Science by A. C. (Albert Charles) Seward

Membrane-formation is, therefore, caused by a superficial or incomplete cytolysis.

From Darwin and Modern Science by A. C. (Albert Charles) Seward

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