Etymology

autolyze

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Today it means: To destroy itself: to be destroyed by its own enzymes. Full definition →

English lyze ← Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-) ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ew
  2. Proto-Indo-European*tó-
  3. Proto-Hellenic*autós
  4. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ew
  5. Ancient Greekαὖ (aû)
  6. Ancient Greekτόν (tón)
  7. Ancient Greekαὐτός (autós)
  8. Ancient Greekαὐτο- (auto-)
  9. Englishauto-
  10. Englishlyze
  11. English todayautolyze

From auto- + lyze.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.