sitosterol

[ sahy-tos-tuh-rawl, -rol ]

/ saɪˈtɒs təˌrɔl, -ˌrɒl /

noun Chemistry.

any of five steroid alcohols having the formula C22H50O, especially the beta form, obtained from various plant sources: used in organic synthesis.

Nearby words

sitkamer, sito-, sitology, sitomania, sitophobia, sitosterol, sitotaxis, sitotoxin, sitotropism, sitsang, sittella

Origin of sitosterol

First recorded in 1915–20; sito- + sterol

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for sitosterol

sitosterol

/ (saɪˈtɒstəˌrɒl) /

noun

a white powder or waxy white solid extracted from soya beans, consisting of a mixture of isomers of the formula C 29 H 50 O with other sterols: used in cosmetics and medicine

Word Origin for sitosterol

C20: from Greek sitos food, grain + sterol

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

Medicine definitions for sitosterol

sitosterol

[ sī-tŏs′tə-rôl′, -rōl′, sĭ- ]

n.

Any of a group of sterols that occur in high concentrations in certain plants, such as yams, and are used in the synthesis of steroid hormones.