cellulase

[ sel-yuh-leys, -leyz ]

nounBiochemistry.
  1. any of several enzymes, produced primarily by fungi and bacteria, that catalyze the hydrolysis of cellulose.

Origin of cellulase

1
First recorded in 1900–05; cellul(ose) + -ase

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British Dictionary definitions for cellulase

cellulase

/ (ˈsɛljʊˌleɪz) /


noun
  1. any enzyme that converts cellulose to the disaccharide cellobiose

Origin of cellulase

1
C20: from cellulose + -ase

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for cellulase

cellulase

[ sĕlyə-lās′ ]


  1. Any of several enzymes produced chiefly by fungi, bacteria, and protozoans that catalyze the breakdown of cellulose. Protozoans in the guts of termites produce the cellulase needed for the termites to digest wood.

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