Hydrolysis
/ˌhaɪdrəˈlɪsɪs/noun
A chemical reaction in which water breaks a compound into smaller parts.
Did you know?Hydrolysis was coined in modern scientific Greek from roots meaning “water” and “loosening,” and it literally names the process where water splits molecules apart.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
hydōr
“water”
Ancient Greek
Greek
lysis
“a loosening, releasing, or setting free”
19th Century
French/Scientific Latin
hydrolyse
“a chemical decomposition caused by water”
19th Century
English
hydrolysis
“the chemical splitting of a substance by water”
Modern English
English
hydrolysis
“the reaction in which water breaks chemical bonds in a compound”