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wood sugar

American  

noun

Chemistry.
  1. a white, crystalline, water-soluble powder, C 5 H 10 O 5 , the dextrorotatory form of xylose: used chiefly in dyeing and tanning.


wood sugar British  

noun

  1. chem another name for xylose

"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

Etymology

Origin of wood sugar

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Xylose, also called wood sugar, is abundant in nature, being present in variable quantities in most plants.

From The Guardian

Cobalt will use the wood sugar “waste” from the particle board production as the feedstock to make biobutanol.

From Forbes