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Glite Dictionary
acantholysis

acantholysis

9.9
A loss of connection between skin cells in the outer layer that causes blisters
  • noun
  • /ˌækənˈθɑːləsɪs/
  • Specialized
: acantólisis
  • The binding of autoantibodies results in acantholysis, the loss of cell-cell adhesion.

Examples

  • In pemphigus, acantholysis is a key feature that leads to painful blisters on the skin.

  • The subsequent acantholysis first leads to the formation of clefts, and then to predominantly suprabasal blisters.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Aacantholysis occurs when autoimmune diseases cause the skin cells to lose their cohesion.

  • Dermatologists often observe acantholysis in patients with severe forms of skin disorders.

Synonyms

epidermolysis
vsacantholysis
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A condition in which the outer layer of the skin becomes loose and forms blisters

describes loss of cohesion between cells within the layer rather than surface separation

Antonyms

cohesion
  • Specialized
6 5.5

A force that makes small parts stick together, for example in liquids

Surface Forms

acantholysis singular
acantholyses plural

Morphology

acantholysis = acanth + lysis

Both elements are specialized Greek combining forms (acanth- 'spine/thorn' and -lysis 'breaking') that are unfamiliar to average learners, so the meaning cannot be reliably inferred from common English vocabulary.

Etymology

Acantholysis comes from Greek parts: acanth- meaning 'thorn' or 'spine' and -lysis meaning 'breaking apart'. Think of skin cells losing their little 'spines' and falling apart, so acantholysis means the breaking of the links between skin cells that can cause blisters.