Lytic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Capable of causing or relating to the breakdown and destruction of cells through rupture of their membranes
2. Relating to or causing the disintegration and destruction of cells via membrane rupture or decomposition processes
3. Pertaining to the process that results in the breakdown and death of cells by membrane disruption or enzymatic activity

Etymology: "Lytic" is built from "lysis," a Greek-derived term meaning "a loosening" or "a dissolving," which comes from the Greek verb "lyein," to loosen or unbind. English speakers adopted "lysis" in the medical and biological sense of the gradual breakdown of a cell or organism, and the adjective "lytic" follows the familiar pattern of adding "-tic" to form an adjective from a noun, as in "static" or "dynamic." The source also allows a second possible parent, "lysin," a term for substances that dissolve cells, which would make "lytic" describe the action of such agents. Either way, the core idea is the same: something that breaks a cell apart. Because the word joins a Greek root with a Greek-derived suffix, it is a modern scientific coinage, built on classical materials rather than inherited from ancient usage.

Synonyms: decomposing, dissolving, breaking down, destructive, disintegrative