amylase-negative
|am-y-lase-neg-a-tive|
/ˌæmɪˈleɪs ˈnɛɡətɪv/
lacking detectable amylase activity
Etymology
'amylase-negative' is a compound formed from 'amylase' + 'negative'. 'Amylase' originates from Neo-Latin/French, ultimately from Greek 'amylon' meaning 'starch', with the enzyme-forming suffix '-ase' (as in 'diastase'). 'Negative' comes via Latin 'negativus' and French 'négatif', meaning 'denying' or 'no'.
'Amylase' was coined in the 19th century (from 'amyl-' + '-ase') to name the enzyme that breaks down starch; the compound form 'amylase-negative' arose in clinical and biochemical contexts to describe test results that do not show amylase. 'Negative' followed its path from Latin through French into modern English.
Initially 'amylase' denoted the enzyme that digests starch; 'amylase-negative' came to mean 'showing no detectable amylase' in tests and has retained that diagnostic/analytical sense.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
not showing detectable amylase activity; yielding a negative result for amylase in a test (e.g., a biological sample or reagent test).
The patient's pancreatic fluid was amylase-negative, indicating a lack of detectable amylase activity.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/27 04:29