POLYSACCHARIDE

Pronunciation (US):

• POLYSACCHARIDE (noun)
  The noun POLYSACCHARIDE has 1 sense:

1. any of a class of carbohydrates whose molecules contain chains of monosaccharide molecules

  Familiarity information: POLYSACCHARIDE used as a noun is very rare.

• POLYSACCHARIDE (noun)

Meaning:

Any of a class of carbohydrates whose molecules contain chains of monosaccharide molecules

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

polyose; polysaccharide

Hypernyms ("polysaccharide" is a kind of...):

carbohydrate; saccharide; sugar (an essential structural component of living cells and source of energy for animals; includes simple sugars with small molecules as well as macromolecular substances; are classified according to the number of monosaccharide groups they contain)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "polysaccharide"):

heparin; Lipo-Hepin; Liquaemin (a polysaccharide produced in basophils (especially in the lung and liver) and that inhibits the activity of thrombin in coagulation of the blood; it (trade names Lipo-Hepin and Liquaemin) is used as an anticoagulant in the treatment of thrombosis and in heart surgery)

chitin (a tough semitransparent horny substance; the principal component of the exoskeletons of arthropods and the cell walls of certain fungi)

cellulose (a polysaccharide that is the chief constituent of all plant tissues and fibers)

animal starch; glycogen (one form in which body fuel is stored; stored primarily in the liver and broken down into glucose when needed by the body)

inulin (used to manufacture fructose and in assessing kidney function)

dextrin (any of various polysaccharides obtained by hydrolysis of starch; a tasteless and odorless gummy substance that is used as a thickening agent and in adhesives and in dietary supplements)

mucopolysaccharide (complex polysaccharides containing an amino group; occur chiefly as components of connective tissue)

amylum; starch (a complex carbohydrate found chiefly in seeds, fruits, tubers, roots and stem pith of plants, notably in corn, potatoes, wheat, and rice; an important foodstuff and used otherwise especially in adhesives and as fillers and stiffeners for paper and textiles)