DIASTASE
Etymology
Noun
diastase (plural diastases)
(enzyme) Any one of a group of enzymes which catalyse the breakdown of starch into maltose; mostly amylase
Source: Wiktionary
Di"a*stase, n. Etym: [Gr. diastase. Cf. Diastasis.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Definition: A soluble, nitrogenous ferment, capable of converting starch
and dextrin into sugar.
Note: The name is more particularly applied to that ferment formed
during the germination of grain, as in the malting of barley; but it
is also occasionally used to designate the amylolytic ferment
contained in animal fluids, as in the saliva.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition