hydrolysis Syllabification: (hy·drol·y·sis)Pronunciation: /hīˈdräləsis/Translate hydrolysis | into Italian Definition of hydrolysis noun Chemistry the chemical breakdown of a compound due to reaction with water. Derivatives hydrolyticPronunciation: /ˌhīdrəˈlitik/ adjective hydrolysis in other Oxford dictionaries Definition of hydrolysis in the British & World English dictionary