pentosan

American

[pen-tuh-san] / ˈpɛn təˌsæn /

noun

Biochemistry.

any of a class of polysaccharides that occur in plants, humus, etc., and form pentoses upon hydrolysis.

pentosan British

/ ˈpɛntəˌsæn /

noun

biochem any of a group of polysaccharides, having the general formula (C 5 H 8 O 4 ) n : occur in plants, humus, etc

"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

Etymology

Origin of pentosan

< German (1892), equivalent to Pentos ( e ) pentose + -an -ane

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.

After a court battle, the family won the right to use the experimental drug pentosan polysulphate in January 2003.

From BBC

The lignin material generally consists of two types of substances, one of which contains a closed-ring nucleus of unknown composition and the other is probably a pentosan.

From Project Gutenberg

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