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  

/ ˌmɒnəʊˈsækəˌraɪd, -rɪd /

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

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Compare meaning

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

• monosaccharide vs. polysaccharide
• monosaccharide vs. disaccharide

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

monosaccharide

Features such as molecular weight and monosaccharide composition may determine which bacteria can use the compounds as a substrate and which short-chain fatty acids are ultimately produced.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026

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

Fructose, being a monosaccharide, diffused through the dialysis bag into the distilled water.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

By convention, the carbon atoms in a monosaccharide are numbered from the terminal carbon closest to the carbonyl group.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

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 Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher

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Related Words

• cellulose
• glucose
• lactose
• starch
• sugar

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