Definition of "lysis"

lysis

/ˈlaɪsɪs/

noun
1. (medicine, pathology) A gradual recovery from disease (opposed to crisis).
  Quotations
  The older medicine used to speak of two ways, lysis and crisis, one gradual, the other abrupt, in which one might recover from a bodily disease.
  1902, William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience, Folio Society, published 2008, page 157
2. (biochemistry) The disintegration or destruction of cells
3. (biochemistry) The breakdown of molecules into constituent molecules
4. (architecture) A plinth or step above the cornice of the podium in an ancient temple.