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  • lysis
    lysis
    noun
    the dissolution or destruction of cells by lysins.
  • -lysis
    -lysis
    a combining form with the meaning “breaking down, loosening, decomposition,” used in the formation of compound words.

lysis

1 American  
[lahy-sis] / ˈlaɪ sɪs /

noun

plural

lyses

  1. Immunology, Biochemistry. the dissolution or destruction of cells by lysins.

  2. Medicine/Medical. the gradual recession of a disease.

-lysis 2 American  

  1. a combining form with the meaning “breaking down, loosening, decomposition,” used in the formation of compound words.

    analysis; electrolysis; paralysis.
-lysis 1 British  

combining form

  1. indicating a loosening, decomposition, or breaking down

    electrolysis

    paralysis
"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
lysis 2 British  
/ ˈlaɪsɪs /

noun

  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

"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
lysis Scientific  
/ lī′sĭs /

  1. The disintegration of a cell resulting from destruction of its membrane by a chemical substance, especially an antibody or enzyme.

Etymology

Origin of lysis1

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

Origin of -lysis2

From Greek; see origin at 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.

Together, these experiments identified LypABC as a control mechanism for GTA-mediated cell lysis.

From Science Daily • Apr. 17, 2026

They also identified a regulatory protein which is required for strict control of both GTA activation and GTA-mediated lysis.

From Science Daily • Apr. 17, 2026

And then there’s the fourth moment, which is what Jung called the lysis, where the energy of your life wants to go.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2024

Some organisms, such as plants, fungi, bacteria, and some protists, have cell walls that surround the plasma membrane and prevent cell lysis in a hypotonic solution.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

The pneumonia did not end by crisis but by lysis and for weeks he had very little sleep.

From Psychotherapy by Walsh, James J. (James Joseph)

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.