epimer

[ ep-uh-mer ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. either of a pair of isomeric aldose compounds, especially of certain sugars, that differ from each other in the positions of the H and OH at the second atom from the end of the carbon chain, as d-glucose and d-mannose.

Other Words From

• ep·i·mer·ic [ep-, uh, -, mer, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of epimer¹

First recorded in 1910–15; epi- + -mer