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lysis

[lahy-sis]
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noun, plural ly·ses [lahy-seez] /ˈlaɪ siz/.
  1. Immunology, Biochemistry. the dissolution or destruction of cells by lysins.
  2. Medicine/Medical. the gradual recession of a disease.Compare crisis(def 4).
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Origin of lysis

1815–25; < New Latin < Greek lýsis a loosening, releasing, equivalent to ly-, variant stem of lȳ́(ein) to loosen, release + -sis -sis

-lysis

  1. a combining form with the meaning “breaking down, loosening, decomposition,” used in the formation of compound words: analysis; electrolysis; paralysis.
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Origin of -lysis

From Greek; see origin at lysis
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for lysis

Historical Examples

  • When Socrates speaks, Lysis and Menexenus are afflicted by no shame that they do not speak.

    Essays, First Series

    Ralph Waldo Emerson

  • No answer is given in the Lysis to the question, 'What is Friendship?'

    Lysis

    Plato

  • I dare say, Lysis, I said, that your father and mother love you very much.

    Lysis

    Plato

  • In the Charmides, as also in the Laches, he is described as middle-aged; in the Lysis he is advanced in years.

    Lysis

    Plato

  • There was also a circle of lookers-on; among them was Lysis.

    Lysis

    Plato

British Dictionary definitions for lysis

lysis

noun plural -ses (-siːz)
  1. the destruction or dissolution of cells by the action of a particular lysin
  2. med the gradual reduction in severity of the symptoms of a disease
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Word Origin

C19: New Latin, from Greek, from luein to release

-lysis

n combining form
  1. indicating a loosening, decomposition, or breaking downelectrolysis; paralysis
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Word Origin

from Greek, from lusis a loosening; see lysis
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

Word Origin and History for lysis

n.

"dissolution of cells, bacteria, etc.," 1902, from Latin lysis, from Greek lysis "a loosening," from lyein "to unfasten, loose, loosen, untie" (see lose).

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-lysis

scientific/medical word-forming element meaning "loosening, dissolving, dissolution," from Greek lysis "a loosening, setting free, releasing, dissolution," from lyein "to unfasten, loose, loosen, untie" (see lose).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
lysis in Medicine

lysis

(lī′sĭs)
n. pl. ly•ses (-sēz)
  1. The gradual subsiding of the symptoms of an acute disease; a form of the recovery process.
  2. The dissolution or destruction of cells, such as blood cells or bacteria, as by the action of a specific lysin.
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-lysis

suff.
  1. Decomposition; dissolving; disintegration:hydrolysis.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
lysis in Science

lysis

[lī′sĭs]
  1. The disintegration of a cell resulting from destruction of its membrane by a chemical substance, especially an antibody or enzyme.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.