lipase

lipase [lahy-peys, lip-eys] Word Origin noun Biochemistry.

1. any of a class of enzymes that break down fats, produced by the liver, pancreas, and other digestive organs or by certain plants.

Origin of lipase First recorded in 1895–1900; lip- + -ase British Dictionary definitions for lipase lipase noun

1. any of a group of fat-digesting enzymes produced in the stomach, pancreas, and liver and also occurring widely in the seeds of plants

Word Origin for lipase C19: from Greek lipos fat + -ase Word Origin and History for lipase n.

class of enzymes, 1897, from French lipase (1896), from Greek lipos “fat” (see lipo- (v.)) + chemical ending -ase.

lipase in Medicine lipase [lĭp′ās′, lī′pās′] n.

1. Any of a group of lipolytic enzymes that cleave a fatty acid residue from the glycerol residue in a neutral fat or a phospholipid.

lipase in Science lipase [lĭp′ās′, lī′pās′]

1. Any of various enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of fats, especially triglycerides and phospholipids, into glycerol and fatty acids.