galactose

American  

[guh-lak-tohs] / gəˈlæk toʊs /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a white, crystalline, water-soluble hexose sugar, C 6 H 12 O 6 , obtained in its dextrorotatory form from milk sugar by hydrolysis and in its levorotatory form from mucilages.

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galactose British  

/ ɡəˈlæktəʊz, -əʊs /

noun

1. a white water-soluble monosaccharide found in lactose. Formula: C 6 H 12 O 6

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galactose Scientific  

/ gə-lăk′tōs′ /

1. A monosaccharide commonly occurring in lactose and in certain pectins, gums, and mucilages. Chemical formula: C ₆ H ₁₂ O ₆ .

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Etymology

Origin of galactose

First recorded in 1865–70; galact- + -ose ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

galactose

The researchers discovered that intelectin-2 from both humans and mice can bind to a sugar molecule called galactose.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 16, 2026

This enzyme enables the bacteria to generate galactose directly from glucose.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 13, 2026

Following her illness, Mills was diagnosed with galactosaemia, a rare genetic disorder affecting up to one in 45,000 babies which prevents her body from turning galactose into glucose.

From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2024

All mammals, including humans, make milk with carbohydrates in the same unique form: lactose, a sugar that is a fusion of two other sugars called galactose and glucose.

From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2022

During the process of digestion, lactose is hydrolized by the lactase in the intestinal juice, yielding one molecule of glucose and one of galactose.

From Dietetics for Nurses by Fairfax T. Proudfit

Related Words

• cellulose
• glucose
• lactose
• starch
• sugar