inositol

[ih-noh-si-tawl, -tohl, ahy-noh-]

noun

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.

Origin of inositol

1890–95; inosite (< Greek īn-, stem of ī́s fiber, sinew + -ose² + -ite¹) + -ol¹

Also called hexahydroxycyclohexane.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for inositol

inositol

noun

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

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 in Medicine

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 in Science

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.