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Glite Dictionary
hydrolyzable

hydrolyzable

1 8.9
Can be broken down by water
  • adjective
  • /haɪˈdrɒlɪzəbl/
  • Specialized
: hidrolizable
  • Some substances are hydrolyzable, meaning they can be broken down into simpler components by reaction with water.

Examples

  • Chemicals that are hydrolyzable can react with water, leading to a transformation in their chemical structure.

  • Total phosphorus (TP) is all of the phosphorus present in the sample regardless of form (organic, inorganic, and hydrolyzable).

    Academic text (2009)

  • Certain food additives are hydrolyzable and change when exposed to moisture during cooking.

Surface Forms

hydrolyzable positive

Morphology

hydrolyzable = hydrolyze (transparent) = hydrolyze + able

Regular adjectival formation from the verb 'hydrolyze' with '-able' gives the clear meaning 'able to undergo hydrolysis'.

Etymology

Hydrolyzable comes from hydro- meaning 'water' and -lyze meaning 'to break apart', which you can also see in analyze. So, something hydrolyzable can be 'broken down by water', which is why scientists use the word for substances that water or enzymes split apart.