Etymology

cellulase

C3E1L1L1U1L1A1S1E1

Today it means: Any of a class of enzymes that catalyze the cellulolysis (or hydrolysis) of cellulose. Full definition →

English diastase ← Ancient Greek δῐᾰ́στᾰσῐς (dĭắstăsĭs) ← Proto-Hellenic *hístāmi
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱel-
  2. Latincella
  3. Latincellula
  4. Frenchcellule
  5. Proto-Indo-European*h₃ed-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*h₃édosder.?
  7. Frenchcellulose
  8. Englishcellulose
  9. Proto-Indo-European*dwóh₁
  10. Proto-Indo-European*trísinflu.
  11. Proto-Indo-European*dwís
  12. Ancient Greekδιά (diá)
  13. Ancient Greekδῐᾰ- (dĭă-)
  14. Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-
  15. Proto-Indo-European*stísteh₂ti
  16. Proto-Hellenic*hístāmi
  17. Ancient Greekῐ̔́στημῐ (hĭ́stēmĭ)
  18. Ancient Greekδῐῐ̈́στημῐ (dĭĭ̈́stēmĭ)
  19. Ancient Greekδῐᾰ́στᾰσῐς (dĭắstăsĭs)
  20. Englishdiastase
  21. English todaycellulase

From cellulose + -ase.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.