Definitions for "Esterase"
An enzyme that breaks ester linkages, especially the ones found in nucleic acids (phosphodiester bonds) and lipids. or An enzyme that catalyses the hydrolysis of organic esters to release an alcohol or thiol and acid. The term could be applied to enzymes that hydrolyse carboxylate, phosphate and sulphate esters, but is more often restricted to the first class of substrate.
Esterase is a generic term for enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of esters.
An esterase is a hydrolase enzyme that splits esters into an acid and an alcohol in a chemical reaction with water called hydrolysis. A wide range of different esterases exist that differ in their substrate specificity, their protein structure, and their biological function.