any of a group of enzymes that act as a catalyst in the hydrolysis of organic phosphates
"The researcher added phosphatase to the mixture to catalyze the hydrolysis of the organic phosphates."
Any of several enzymes that hydrolyze phosphate esters, and are important in the metabolism of carbohydrates, nucleotides and phospholipids, and in the formation of bone.
"The researcher added a phosphatase to the lab mixture to remove the phosphate groups from the proteins and observe how it affected their structure."