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polysaccharide

[pol-ee-sak-uh-rahyd, -rid]
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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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Also pol·y·sac·cha·rose [pol-ee-sak-uh-rohs] /ˌpɒl iˈsæk əˌroʊs/.

Origin of polysaccharide

First recorded in 1890–95; poly- + saccharide
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

carbohydratesugarstarchlactoseglucosecellulosepolysaccharideglycogengalactosemonosaccharidedisaccharidesucrosemaltosefructosedextrosedextrin

Examples from the Web for polysaccharide

Historical Examples

  • It is a constituent of sucrose, of raffinose, and of the polysaccharide inulin, from which it may be obtained by hydrolysis.

    The Chemistry of Plant Life

    Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher

British Dictionary definitions for polysaccharide

polysaccharide

polysaccharose (ˌpɒlɪˈsækəˌrəʊz, -ˌrəʊs)

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) nSee also oligosaccharide
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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
polysaccharide in Medicine

polysaccharide

(pŏl′ē-săk′ə-rīd′)
n.
  1. Any of a class of carbohydrates, such as starch and cellulose, consisting of a number of monosaccharides joined by glycosidic bonds.glycan
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
polysaccharide in Science

polysaccharide

[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. Compare monosaccharide oligosaccharide.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.