amylase-active
|a-my-lase-ac-tive|
/ˈæmɪleɪz ˈæktɪv/
amylase (starch‑degrading) activity
Etymology
'amylase-active' is formed from 'amylase' + 'active'. 'Amylase' ultimately derives from Greek 'amylon' meaning 'starch' (via Neo-Latin 'amylase'), and the suffix '-ase' was adopted into enzyme nomenclature in the 19th century; 'active' is from English 'active' meaning 'having activity'.
'amylase' moved from Greek 'amylon' ('starch') into Neo-Latin as 'amylase' referring to the starch‑degrading enzyme, entered English scientific usage as 'amylase', and in modern English combined with 'active' to form the compound adjective 'amylase-active'.
The root originally referred to 'starch' ('amylon'), later 'amylase' came to mean the enzyme that breaks down starch; 'amylase-active' now denotes either exhibiting amylase enzyme activity or being susceptible to amylase action.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
exhibiting amylase activity; having the ability to catalyze or display starch‑degrading (amylase) enzymatic activity.
The bacterial isolate was amylase-active, producing clear halos on starch agar.
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Adjective 2
susceptible to action by amylase; readily broken down or affected by amylase (often used for substrates like starches).
After cooking, the starch granules became more amylase-active and were digested faster.
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Last updated: 2025/10/14 14:54