Hydrolytically

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a way that occurs through hydrolysis, the chemical breakdown of a compound by reaction with water
2. By the process of hydrolysis, in which water splits a molecule into smaller parts
3. Through a reaction involving water that cleaves chemical bonds and breaks a substance down

Etymology: Hydrolytically is an adverb built from "hydrolytic," which describes a chemical reaction in which water breaks a bond, plus the suffix "-ally," which turns an adjective into an adverb. The root of "hydrolytic" is the Greek "hydor," meaning water, joined to "lytikos," from "lyein," to loosen or split apart. So the word's core sense is literally "by water splitting." The adjective "hydrolytic" sits on a long chain of inherited suffixes. The ending "-ally" descends from Middle English "-ly" and Old English "-līce," which in turn trace back to a Proto-Germanic "-līkaz," meaning "having the form of" or "like." Over centuries this came to mark manner, so "hydrolytically" describes doing something in the manner of water splitting a chemical bond. Because the word is a technical coinage from scientific vocabulary, its use is confined mostly to chemistry and biochemistry, where it describes how a compound is broken down by reaction with water.