xylitol

[ zahy-li-tawl, -tol ]

nounBiochemistry.
  1. a naturally occurring pentose sugar alcohol, C5H12O5, used as a sugar substitute.

Origin of xylitol

1
<German Xylit (1891), equivalent to Xyl(ose) xylose + -it-ite1; see -itol

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for xylitol

xylitol

/ (ˈzaɪlɪˌtɒl) /


noun
  1. chem an artificial sweetener produced from xylose and used esp in chewing gum. Formula: CH 2 HOH(CHOH) 3 CH 2 OH

Origin of xylitol

1
C19: from xyl (ose) + -ite ² + -ol 1

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

Scientific definitions for xylitol

xylitol

[ lĭ-tôl′, -tōl′ ]


  1. A sweet white crystalline alcohol derived from xylose and used as a sugar substitute. Chemical formula: C5H12O5.

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