bacteriolysis-inhibiting
|bac-te-ri-o-ly-sis-in-hi-bi-ting|
🇺🇸
/ˌbæk.tɪəri.oʊˈlɪsɪs ɪnˈhɪbɪtɪŋ/
🇬🇧
/ˌbæk.tɪəri.əʊˈlɪsɪs ɪnˈhɪbɪtɪŋ/
prevents bacterial lysis
Etymology
'bacteriolysis-inhibiting' is a modern compound formed from scientific combining forms: 'bacterio-' from Greek 'bakterion' meaning 'little rod' (referring to bacteria), 'lysis' from Greek 'lysis' meaning 'loosening' or 'breaking apart', and 'inhibiting' from Latin-derived 'inhibit' meaning 'to hold back'.
'bacteriolysis-inhibiting' developed in modern scientific English by combining 'bacterio-' + 'lysis' (used in 19th–20th century microbiology to denote bacterial breakdown) with the present-participial adjective 'inhibiting' to describe agents that stop that process.
Originally the roots meant 'rod-shaped organism' ('bakterion') and 'breaking apart' ('lysis'); over time these components have been combined in technical English to form compounds meaning 'preventing bacterial breakdown', which is the current specialized meaning.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
preventing or reducing bacteriolysis — i.e., inhibiting the lysis or disintegration of bacterial cells.
The team discovered a bacteriolysis-inhibiting protein that prevents bacterial cell lysis under stress conditions.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/16 14:00