inositol
[ih-noh-si-tawl, -tohl, ahy-noh-]
- 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.
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Origin of inositol
Also called hexahydroxycyclohexane.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
inositol
- 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
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Word Origin for inositol
C19: from Greek in-, is sinew + -ose ² + -ite 1 + -ol 1
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
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.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.