apolysis
|a-pol-y-sis|
🇺🇸
/əˈpɑləsɪs/
🇬🇧
/əˈpɒlɪsɪs/
loosening away / separation
Etymology
'apolysis' originates from Greek, specifically from the elements 'apo-' meaning 'away' and 'lysis' meaning 'loosening' or 'a freeing', forming a term for 'loosening away'.
'apolysis' entered scientific usage via Neo-Latin/Latinized forms used in 18th–19th century biological literature and was adopted into modern English with little change in form.
Initially it denoted the general idea of 'loosening away'; over time it became specialized in biology to refer specifically to the separation of an animal's old cuticle from the epidermis preceding molting.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
in arthropods (especially insects and crustaceans), the separation of the old cuticle (exoskeleton) from the underlying epidermis that occurs prior to molting (ecdysis).
Apolysis precedes ecdysis in the insect's molting cycle.
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Noun 2
a more general biological/medical sense: the loosening or separation of one tissue layer from another (used rarely outside entomology).
The pathologist noted a localized apolysis of the epidermal layer in the sample.
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Last updated: 2025/09/20 06:16