-ase
A termination denoting an enzyme, suffixed to the name of the substance (substrate) upon which the enzyme acts; e.g., phosphatase, lipase, proteinase. May also indicate the reaction catalyzed e.g., decarboxylase, oxidase. Enzymes named before the convention was established generally have an -in ending; e.g., pepsin, ptyalin, trypsin.
Origin: Fr. (diast)ase, an amylase that converts starch to maltose, fr. G. Diastasis, separation, fr. Dia-, through, apart, + stasis, a standing
(05 Mar 2000)
Terms mentioned in text: termination, enzyme, name, substance, substrate, phosphatase, lipase, proteinase, indicate, reaction, decarboxylase, oxidase, ending, pepsin, ptyalin, trypsin
Previous terms: ascorbic acid, ascorbic acid deficiency, ascorbyl palmitate, ascospore, ascus,