lyase. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

lyase

SYLLABICATION:	ly·ase
PRONUNCIATION:	ls
NOUN:	Any of a group of enzymes that catalyze the formation of double bonds by removing chemical groups from a substrate without hydrolysis or catalyze the addition of chemical groups to double bonds.
ETYMOLOGY:	Greek lein, to loosen; see leu- in Appendix I + –ase.


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.