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oligosaccharide

American  
[ol-i-goh-sak-uh-rahyd, -rid] / ˌɒl ɪ goʊˈsæk əˌraɪd, -rɪd /

noun

Chemistry.
  1. any carbohydrate yielding few monosaccharides on hydrolysis, as two, three, or four.


oligosaccharide British  
/ ˌɒlɪɡəʊˈsækəˌraɪd, -rɪd /

noun

  1. any one of a class of carbohydrates consisting of a few monosaccharide units linked together Compare polysaccharide

"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

oligosaccharide Scientific  
/ ŏl′ĭ-gō-săkə-rīd′,ō′lĭ- /
  1. A carbohydrate consisting of a relatively small and specifiable number of monosaccharides joined together. Lactose, maltose, and sucrose are oligosaccharides consisting of two simple sugars. Raffinose is an oligosaccharide consisting of three simple sugars.

  2. Compare monosaccharide polysaccharide


Etymology

Origin of oligosaccharide

First recorded in 1925–30; oligo- + saccharide

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.

"More specifically, if they have unexpected episodes of severe abdominal pain occurring several hours after eating mammalian meat, they should be investigated for possible sensitization to the oligosaccharide alpha-gal."

From Science Daily

There is an approximately 25% overlap between bovine milk oligosaccharide and HMO structures.

From Nature

The label may list inulin, chicory root extract, oligosaccharide, or oligofructose.

From Reuters

Gnotobiotic recipients colonized with these communities can be fed breast milk or infant formula supplemented with defined milk oligosaccharide structures.

From Nature