inositol
Biochemistry. a compound, C6H12O6, derivative of cyclohexane, widely distributed in plants and seeds as phytin, and occurring in animal tissue and in urine: an essential growth factor for animal life, present in the vitamin B complex.
Pharmacology. the commercial form of this compound, a white, sweet, crystalline solid, used chiefly to promote epithelialization of the cervix after infection or injury.
Origin of inositol
1- Also called hexahydroxycyclohexane.
Words Nearby inositol
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for inositol
/ (ɪˈnəʊsɪˌtɒl) /
a cyclic alcohol, one isomer of which (i -inositol) is present in yeast and is a growth factor for some organisms; cyclohexanehexol. Formula: C 6 H 12 O 6
Origin of inositol
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for inositol
[ ĭ-nō′sĭ-tôl′, -tōl′, ī-nō′- ]
Any of nine isomeric alcohols, especially one found in plant and animal tissue and classified as a member of the vitamin B complex. Inositol is necessary for the growth of yeasts and other fungi, and in humans is especially abundant as part of a phospholipid found in the brain. Chemical formula: C6H12O6.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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