ganglioside

[ gang-glee-uh-sahyd ]

noun

, Biochemistry.

1. any of a class of glycolipids, found chiefly in nerve ganglia, that upon hydrolysis yield sphingosine, neuraminic acid, a fatty acid, and a monosaccharide.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ganglioside¹

First recorded in 1940–45; gangli(on) + -ose ² + -ide ( def )