mannitol

[man-i-tawl, -tol]

noun

Chemistry. a white, crystalline, sweetish, water-soluble, carbohydrate alcohol, C6H8(OH)6, occurring in three optically different forms, the common one being found in the manna of the ash Fraxinus ornus and in other plants: used chiefly in the manufacture of resins, electrolytic condensers for radios, plasticizers, and mannitol hexanitrate, and as a pill excipient.

Pharmacology. the substance used as an osmotic diuretic to reduce intraocular and intracranial pressures.

Origin of mannitol

First recorded in 1875–80; mannite + -ol¹

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

British Dictionary definitions for mannitol

mannitol

mannite (ˈmænaɪt)

noun

a white crystalline water-soluble sweet-tasting alcohol, found in plants and used in diet sweets and as a dietary supplement (E421). Formula: C 6 H 14 O 6

Derived Formsmannitic (məˈnɪtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for mannitol

from mannose + -ite ² + -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

mannitol in Medicine

mannitol

[măn′ĭ-tôl′, -tōl′]

n.

A white, crystalline, water-soluble, slightly sweet alcohol, used as a dietary supplement and dietetic sweetener and in medical tests of renal function.

mannitol in Science

mannitol

[măn′ĭ-tôl′, -tōl′]

A white, crystalline, water-soluble, slightly sweet alcohol that is used as a dietary supplement and dietetic sweetener and in medical tests of kidney function. Mannitol occurs naturally as an important food storage and transportation molecule in brown algae like kelp. Chemical formula: C6H14O6.