erythritol

[ih-rith-ri-tawl, -tol]

noun Chemistry, Pharmacology.

a white, crystalline, water-soluble, sweet-tasting, tetrahydroxyl compound, C4H10O4, related to the carbohydrates, obtained from certain lichens and used for coronary vasodilation and in the treatment of hypertension.

Origin of erythritol

First recorded in 1890–95; erythrite + -ol¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for erythritol

erythritol

erythrite

noun

a sweet crystalline compound extracted from certain algae and lichens and used in medicine to dilate the blood vessels of the heart; 1,2,3,4-butanetetrol. Formula: C 4 H 10 O 4

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012