polysaccharide

American  

[pol-ee-sak-uh-rahyd, -rid] / ˌpɒl iˈsæk əˌraɪd, -rɪd /

Also polysaccharose

noun

Chemistry.

1. a carbohydrate, as starch, inulin, or cellulose, containing more than three monosaccharide units per molecule, the units being attached to each other in the manner of acetals, and therefore capable of hydrolysis by acids or enzymes to monosaccharides.

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polysaccharide British  

/ -ˌrəʊs, -rɪd, ˌpɒlɪˈsækəˌrəʊz, ˌpɒlɪˈsækəˌraɪd /

noun

1. any one of a class of carbohydrates whose molecules contain linked monosaccharide units: includes starch, inulin, and cellulose. General formula: (C 6 H 10 O 5 ) n See also oligosaccharide

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polysaccharide Scientific  

/ pŏl′ē-săk′ə-rīd′ /

1. Any of a class of carbohydrates that are made of long chains of simple carbohydrates (called monosaccharides). Starch and cellulose are polysaccharides.

2. Compare monosaccharide oligosaccharide

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Etymology

Origin of polysaccharide

First recorded in 1890–95; poly- + saccharide

Compare meaning

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

• monosaccharide vs. polysaccharide

Example Sentences

The second component of the gel is oxidized dextran, a polysaccharide that can form strong but reversible bonds with the amine groups of the pluronic micelles.

From Science Daily • Mar. 12, 2024

Instead, “to my surprise, it's very rich in mannan, a type of polysaccharide common in plants, but nowhere near the quantity present in acai,” she says.

From National Geographic • Dec. 14, 2023

The process also activates pectin, an acidic polysaccharide present in many fruits that sets the jam into a spreadable gel.

From Salon • Dec. 6, 2023

Other genes worth targeting would be those controlling chitin, the hard polysaccharide that makes up insects’ exoskeleton.

From Scientific American • Aug. 28, 2023

These substances constitute a group of compounds which are very similar to the polysaccharide carbohydrates in composition and constitution, but which serve entirely different purposes in the plant.

From The Chemistry of Plant Life by Thatcher, Roscoe Wilfred

Related Words

• cellulose
• glucose
• lactose
• starch
• sugar