n. [ Gr. &unr_; separation, fr. &unr_;, &unr_; to stand apart; dia` through + &unr_;, &unr_;, to stand, set: cf. F. diastase. Cf. Diastasis. ] (Physiol. Chem.) A soluble enzyme, capable of converting starch and dextrin into sugar. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The name is more particularly applied to that enzyme formed during the germination of grain, as in the malting of barley; but it is also occasionally used to designate the amylolytic enzyme contained in animal fluids, as in the saliva. [ 1913 Webster ]