polysaccharide
[ pol-ee-sak-uh-rahyd, -rid ]
/ ˌpɒl iˈsæk əˌraɪd, -rɪd /
noun Chemistry.
a carbohydrate, as starch, inulin, or cellulose, containing more than three monosaccharide units per molecule, the units being attached to each other in the manner of acetals, and therefore capable of hydrolysis by acids or enzymes to monosaccharides.
Also
pol·y·sac·cha·rose
[pol-ee-sak-uh-rohs] /ˌpɒl iˈsæk əˌroʊs/.
Origin of polysaccharide
First recorded in 1890–95;
poly- +
saccharide
Words nearby polysaccharide
polyradiculitis,
polyradiculoneuropathy,
polyrhythm,
polyrhythmic,
polyribosome,
polysaccharide,
polysemy,
polysepalous,
polyserositis,
polysinusitis,
polysome
Example sentences from the Web for polysaccharide
It is a constituent of sucrose, of raffinose, and of the polysaccharide inulin, from which it may be obtained by hydrolysis.
The Chemistry of Plant Life |Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher
British Dictionary definitions for polysaccharide
polysaccharide
polysaccharose (ˌpɒlɪˈsækəˌrəʊz, -ˌrəʊs)
/ (ˌpɒlɪˈsækəˌraɪd, -rɪd) /
noun
any one of a class of carbohydrates whose molecules contain linked monosaccharide units: includes starch, inulin, and cellulose. General formula: (C 6 H 10 O 5) n
See also oligosaccharide
Medical definitions for polysaccharide
polysaccharide
[ pŏl′ē-săk′ə-rīd′ ]
n.
Any of a class of carbohydrates, such as starch and cellulose, consisting of a number of monosaccharides joined by glycosidic bonds.
glycan
Scientific definitions for polysaccharide
polysaccharide
[ pŏl′ē-săk′ə-rīd′ ]
Any of a class of carbohydrates that are made of long chains of simple carbohydrates (called monosaccharides). Starch and cellulose are polysaccharides. Compare monosaccharide oligosaccharide.