-lyze

American  

especially British, -lyse

1. a combining form occurring in verbs that correspond to nouns ending in -lysis:

   catalyze.

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Usage

What does -lyze mean? The combining form -lyze is used like a suffix meaning roughly “to break down, loosen, decompose.” It denotes verbs that correspond to nouns that end in -lysis. It is often used in scientific terms, especially in medicine. The form -lyze comes from the combination of two forms. The first of these is -lysis, from Greek lýsis, meaning “a loosening, releasing.” The second form is -ize, which is used to denote verbs, from Greek -izein. What are variants of -lyze?In British English, the form -lyze is most often spelled with an -s-, becoming -lyse, as in analyse. The suffix -lyze is related to the combining forms -lytic and -lyte. The form -lytic is used to form adjectives relating to -lysis, as in analytic. The form -lyte denotes something subjected to a noun ending in -lysis, as in electrolyte. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for those forms.

Etymology

Origin of -lyze

ly(sis) + -(i)ze