esterase

American

[es-tuh-rays, -rayz] / ˈɛs təˌreɪs, -ˌreɪz /

noun

Biochemistry.

any enzyme that hydrolyzes an ester into an alcohol and an acid.

esterase British

/ ˈɛstəˌreɪs, -ˌreɪz /

noun

any of a group of enzymes that hydrolyse esters into alcohols and acids

"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

Etymology

Origin of esterase

First recorded in 1915–20; ester + -ase

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:

esterase

Further analysis revealed that the gene produces an esterase, a type of enzyme capable of splitting certain chemical bonds found in esters.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

They noticed that soldiers had higher levels of a particular protein—an enzyme that degrades juvenile hormone, called juvenile hormone esterase, or Jhe.

From Science Magazine ● Sep. 14, 2023

It inactivates an enzyme which controls the transmission of nerve impulses to muscle, acetylcholine esterase.

From History of Phosphorus by Eduard Farber

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