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sterol

[steer-awl, -ol, ster-]
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noun Biochemistry.
  1. any of a group of solid, mostly unsaturated, polycyclic alcohols, as cholesterol and ergosterol, derived from plants or animals.
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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. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for sterol

sterol

noun
  1. biochem any of a group of natural steroid alcohols, such as cholesterol and ergosterol, that are waxy insoluble substances
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Word Origin

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
sterol in Medicine

sterol

(stĕr′ôl′, -ōl′, stîr′-)
n.
  1. 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.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
sterol in Science

sterol

[stîr′ôl′]
  1. 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.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.