from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Hydrolytic \Hy`dro*lyt"ic\, a. [Hydro-, 1 + Gr. ? to loose.]
1. (Chem.) Tending to remove or separate water; eliminating
water. [archaic]
[1913 Webster]
2. (Chem.) of, pertaining to, or accompanied by {hydrolysis}.
[PJC]
Hydrolytic agents, such as sulphuric acid or caustic
alkali. --Encyc. Brit.
[1913 Webster]
{Hydrolytic ferment} (Physiol. Chem.), an enzyme (formerly
referred to as a ferment), which acts only in the presence
of water, and which causes the substance acted upon to
take up a molecule of water, resulting in the splitting of
a chemical bond and often splitting one compound into two.
Thus, diastase of malt, ptyalin of saliva, and boiling
dilute sulphuric acid all convert starch by hydration into
dextrin and sugar. Nearly all of the digestive enzymes are
hydrolytic in their action. Since 1910 such an enzyme is
usually referred to as a {{hydrolase}} or {{hydrolytic
enzyme}}.
[1913 Webster +PJC]