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Synonyms

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.

monosaccharide British  
/ -rɪd, ˌmɒnəʊˈsækəˌraɪd /

noun

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

"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
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

Etymology

Origin of monosaccharide

First recorded in 1895–1900; mono- + saccharide

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

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

This section will focus first on glycolysis, a process where the monosaccharide glucose is oxidized, releasing the energy stored in its bonds to produce ATP.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Fructose.—The second member of the monosaccharide group is more or less associated with glucose in plant and fruit juices, and is used like that substance for the production of glycogen in the body.

From Dietetics for Nurses by Proudfit, Fairfax T.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.