What does the suffix lysis- mean?

What does the suffix lysis- mean?

• A. Destruction
• B. Separation into parts
• C. Enlargement
• D. Black color

Answer: (A)

The suffix -lysis signals a process of breaking down, dissolving, or destroying something. It’s used in biology and medicine to describe things being torn apart or dissolved at the cellular or molecular level—for example, hemolysis is the rupture of red blood cells, and cytolysis is the destruction of cells. Because of this sense of breaking apart or destroying, the best match among the options is destruction. Enlargement and black color describe entirely different ideas (growth or size, and color, respectively), and while “separation into parts” can relate to processes that separate things, the term -lysis more specifically conveys breaking down or destruction rather than just splitting into pieces.

The suffix -lysis signals a process of breaking down, dissolving, or destroying something. It’s used in biology and medicine to describe things being torn apart or dissolved at the cellular or molecular level—for example, hemolysis is the rupture of red blood cells, and cytolysis is the destruction of cells. Because of this sense of breaking apart or destroying, the best match among the options is destruction.

Enlargement and black color describe entirely different ideas (growth or size, and color, respectively), and while “separation into parts” can relate to processes that separate things, the term -lysis more specifically conveys breaking down or destruction rather than just splitting into pieces.