glucose

[gloo-kohs]

noun

Biochemistry.

1. a sugar, C 6 H 12 O 6 , having several optically different forms, the common dextrorotatory form dextroglucose, or d-glucose occurring in many fruits, animal tissues and fluids, etc., and having a sweetness about one half that of ordinary sugar, and the rare levorotatory form levoglucose, or l-glucose not naturally occurring.

2. Also called starch syrup. a syrup containing dextrose, maltose, and dextrine, obtained by the incomplete hydrolysis of starch.

glucose

/ -kəʊs, ˈɡluːkəʊz, ɡluːˈkɒsɪk /

noun

1. a white crystalline monosaccharide sugar that has several optically active forms, the most abundant being dextrose: a major energy source in metabolism. Formula: C 6 H 12 O 6

2. a yellowish syrup (or, after desiccation, a solid) containing dextrose, maltose, and dextrin, obtained by incomplete hydrolysis of starch: used in confectionery, fermentation, etc

glucose

1. A monosaccharide sugar found in plant and animal tissues. Glucose is a product of photosynthesis, mostly incorporated into the disaccharide sugar sucrose rather than circulating free in the plant. Glucose is essential for energy production in animal cells. It is transported by blood and lymph to all the cells of the body, where it is metabolized to form carbon dioxide and water along with ATP, the main source of chemical energy for cellular processes. Glucose molecules can also be linked into chains to form the polysaccharides cellulose, glycogen, and starch. Chemical formula: C ₆ H ₁₂ O ₆ .

2. See more at cellular respiration Krebs cycle photosynthesis

glucose

1. The most common form of sugar, found extensively in the bodies of living things; a molecule composed of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen.

Glucose is involved in the production of energy in both plants and animals.

Other Word Forms

• glucosic adjective
• nonglucose noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of glucose¹

Coined in 1838 by French chemist Jean-Baptiste André Dumas; from French, from Greek gleûkos “sweet new wine” (akin to glykýs “sweet”; glyco- )

Word History and Origins

Origin of glucose¹

C19: from French, from Greek gleukos sweet wine; related to Greek glukus sweet

Example Sentences

This is important because insulin-assisted dilation helps move glucose from the bloodstream into body tissues, lowering blood sugar after meals.

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Gracie now has a glucose monitor and an insulin pump and is "bossing diabetes", says her dad.

Read more on BBC

It works by improving the body's sensitivity to insulin, reducing the amount of glucose produced by the liver, and enhancing glucose uptake by muscle cells.

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These results were linked to the activation of a key cellular signaling system that regulates how the body processes glucose and energy.

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In 2019, she became one of five co-founders of Levels, a company offering continuous glucose monitors to people who want to track their blood sugar.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cellulose 
• lactose 
• starch 
• sugar