| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
hydrolysis hy·drol·y·sis (hī-drŏl'ĭ-sĭs)
n.
Decomposition of a chemical compound by reaction with water, such as the dissociation of a dissolved salt or the catalytic conversion of starch to glucose.
| hydrolysis (hī-drŏl'ĭ-sĭs) Pronunciation Key
The breaking down of a chemical compound into two or more simpler compounds by reacting with water. The proteins, fats, and complex carbohydrates in food are broken down in the body by hydrolysis that is catalyzed by enzymes in the digestive tract. |