MEANING
The breakdown of cells or tissues by enzymes originating within them.
Use it for
A body breaking itself down; cells losing integrity after death; forensic differentiation of decay processesMake destruction originate inside the tissue rather than from an external attacker.
Words that belong together
- postmortem autolysis
- tissue autolysis
- autolysis of cells
On the page
Autolysis had blurred the tissue's original structure.
The examiner distinguished autolysis from bacterial damage.
Even in the sealed jar, autolysis continued.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- autolysis
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Usage notes
Primary category: horror. Self-digestion, not bacterial decomposition, although both may occur in a dead body. Technical term useful for controlled forensic voice. Usually uncountable; technical count plural: autolyses. Derived family: autolytic (adjective).
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