deacylate
|de-ac-yl-ate|
/diːˈeɪsɪleɪt/
remove an acyl group
Etymology
'deacylate' is formed in modern English from the prefix 'de-' (from Latin 'de-', meaning 'remove' or 'from') plus 'acylate' (itself from 'acyl' + the verbal/adjectival suffix '-ate').
'acyl' as a chemical term was coined in 19th-century chemistry (from New Latin/French formations based on classical roots for acid-related groups), and '-ate' is a common English suffix forming verbs and salts; adding the productive prefix 'de-' produced 'deacylate' to mean 'remove an acyl group'.
Originally built from morphemes meaning 'remove' + 'acyl group', its meaning has remained literal and specific: 'to remove an acyl group' (used in organic chemistry and biochemistry).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the process or result of removing an acyl group from a molecule; deacylation.
Deacylation of the lipid occurs during the metabolic pathway.
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Noun 2
an enzyme that catalyzes deacylation; a deacylase.
A specific deacylase catalyzes the deacylation step in the pathway.
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Verb 1
to remove an acyl group (an acyl moiety) from a molecule; to undergo or cause deacylation (used in organic chemistry and biochemistry).
The enzyme deacylates the peptide, restoring the free amino group.
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Adjective 1
describing a molecule that has had an acyl group removed; deacylated.
The deacylated form of the protein binds differently to the membrane.
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Last updated: 2025/11/22 23:47