What does amylase mean?
Amylase is an enzyme that breaks down starch and glycogen into smaller sugars such as maltose and glucose, making it essential to digestion in humans and to countless industrial processes. In the body, it is secreted mainly by the salivary glands and the pancreas: salivary amylase (also called ptyalin) begins converting starchy foods into sugars in the mouth, while pancreatic amylase continues the work in the small intestine. The word also covers related enzymes found in plants, fungi, and bacteria, where they mobilize stored carbohydrates. Beyond biology, amylase has practical importance in brewing, baking, and textile processing, and clinicians routinely measure blood or urine amylase when investigating pancreatic disorders. The term derives from the Greek-derived 'amylum,' meaning starch, combined with the '-ase' suffix standard for enzymes. It is a technical but widely encountered word in science writing, medicine, and food technology.
nounAn enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of starch into sugars, found in saliva and pancreatic fluid as well as in plants, fungi, and bacteria.
- Any of a group of enzymes that break down starch and glycogen into simpler sugars such as maltose and glucose.
"Salivary amylase begins breaking down starch into maltose the moment food enters the mouth."
"The doctor ordered a blood test to measure the patient's amylase levels after suspected pancreatitis."
"Brewers rely on amylase from malted barley to convert grain starches into fermentable sugars."
Used when referring collectively to the different forms of the enzyme (e.g., alpha-, beta-, and gamma-amylases).
"Different amylases operate at different stages of starch digestion."
Your mouth starts digesting your dinner before you even swallow — thanks to amylase in your saliva.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of amylase
The word amylase was formed in the late nineteenth century by combining 'amyl,' ultimately from Greek 'amylon' (starch), with '-ase,' the suffix introduced by French chemists to name enzymes. It belongs to a family of starch-related terms including amylose, amyloid, and diastase, all tracing back to the same Greek root. Its coinage coincided with the systematic naming of enzymes during the rise of modern biochemistry.
How amylase is actually used
A technical term used chiefly in biochemistry, medicine, and food science; in clinical contexts, elevated serum amylase is classically associated with acute pancreatitis, though lipase is now often preferred for diagnosis.
Easily confused with amylase
Amylase is an enzyme that digests starch, while amylose is a linear polysaccharide component of starch itself.