sterol

[ steer-awl, -ol, ster- ]

/ ˈstɪər ɔl, -ɒl, ˈstɛr- /

noun Biochemistry.

any of a group of solid, mostly unsaturated, polycyclic alcohols, as cholesterol and ergosterol, derived from plants or animals.

Nearby words

steroid hormone, steroid ulcer, steroidal, steroidogenesis, steroids, sterol, stertor, stertorous, stertorously, stet, stethalgia

Origin of sterol

1910–15; extracted from such words as cholesterol, ergosterol, etc.

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

British Dictionary definitions for sterol

sterol

/ (ˈstɛrɒl) /

noun

biochem any of a group of natural steroid alcohols, such as cholesterol and ergosterol, that are waxy insoluble substances

Word Origin for sterol

C20: shortened from cholesterol, ergosterol, 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

Medicine definitions for sterol

sterol

[ stĕr′ôl′, -ōl′, stîr′- ]

n.

Any of a group of predominantly unsaturated solid alcohols of the steroid group, such as cholesterol and ergosterol, present in the fatty tissues of plants and animals.

Science definitions for sterol

sterol

[ stîr′ôl′ ]

Any of various alcohols having the structure of a steroid, usually with a hydroxyl group (OH) attached to the third carbon atom. Sterols are found in the tissues of animals, plants, fungi, and yeasts and include cholesterol.