Autolysing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Describing a biological process where an organism's cells or tissues self-digest through enzymatic action, leading to decomposition or breakdown
2. Pertaining to the enzymatic degradation of cellular components within an organism, typically resulting in self-digestion during specific conditions
3. Relating to the process in which enzymes within cells break down and recycle their structures, often seen in normal physiological processes or during death

Etymology: "Autolysing" is the present participle of "autolyse," a verb built from "auto-," meaning "self," and "-lyse," from the Greek "lysis," meaning "loosening" or "dissolving." Put together, the verb describes something dissolving or breaking down by its own action. The word-forming element "lysis" is also found in terms such as "analysis" and "paralysis," where it carries the sense of loosening or releasing. In the biological sense, the process it names is the one in which a cell's own enzymes break down its contents after the cell has died, or when its membranes have been damaged, so that the tissue digests itself.

Synonyms: self-digesting, self-breaking down