monosaccharide

American  

[mon-uh-sak-uh-rahyd, -er-id] / ˌmɒn əˈsæk əˌraɪd, -ər ɪd /

Also monosaccharose

noun

Chemistry.

1. a carbohydrate that does not hydrolyze, as glucose, fructose, or ribose, occurring naturally or obtained by the hydrolysis of glycosides or polysaccharides.

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monosaccharide British  

/ -rɪd, ˌmɒnəʊˈsækəˌraɪd /

noun

1. a simple sugar, such as glucose or fructose, that does not hydrolyse to yield other sugars

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monosaccharide Scientific  

/ mŏn′ə-săk′ə-rīd′ /

1. Any of a class of carbohydrates that cannot be broken down to simpler sugars by hydrolysis and that constitute the building blocks of oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. Monosaccharides consist of at least three carbon atoms, one of which is attached to an oxygen atom to form an aldehyde group (CHO) or a ketone, and the others of which are each attached to a hydroxyl group (OH). Monosaccharides can occur as chains or rings. Fructose, glucose, and ribose are monosaccharides.

2. Also called simple sugar

3. Compare oligosaccharide polysaccharide See more at aldose ketose

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Etymology

Origin of monosaccharide

First recorded in 1895–1900; mono- + saccharide

Compare meaning

How does monosaccharide compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• monosaccharide vs. polysaccharide
• monosaccharide vs. disaccharide

Example Sentences

Fructose, a monosaccharide known as "fruit sugar," is a common dietary sugar found naturally in fruit, honey, and processed foods.

From Science Daily • Feb. 20, 2024

Sugars contain some of the functional groups we have discussed: Note the alcohol groups present in the structures and how monosaccharide units are linked to form a disaccharide by formation of an ether.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

The monosaccharide mumbo jumbo you seem to be touting sounds like so much pseudoscience.

From New York Times • Nov. 26, 2016

There are also strictly monosaccharide sugars like fructose, so a sugar can be either a monosaccharide or a disaccharide.

From New York Times • Nov. 26, 2016

When completely hydrolyzed, they yield three molecules of monosaccharides; when partially hydrolyzed, one each of a disaccharide and a monosaccharide.

From The Chemistry of Plant Life by Thatcher, Roscoe Wilfred

Related Words

• cellulose
• glucose
• lactose
• starch
• sugar