sterol

[ steer-awl, -ol, ster- ]

noun

, Biochemistry.

1. any of a group of solid, mostly unsaturated, polycyclic alcohols, as cholesterol and ergosterol, derived from plants or animals.

sterol

/ ˈstɛrɒl /

noun

1. biochem any of a group of natural steroid alcohols, such as cholesterol and ergosterol, that are waxy insoluble substances

sterol

/ stîr′ôl′ /

1. Any of various alcohols having the structure of a steroid, usually with a hydroxyl group (OH) attached to the third carbon atom. Sterols are found in the tissues of animals, plants, fungi, and yeasts and include cholesterol.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sterol¹

1910–15; extracted from such words as cholesterol, ergosterol, etc.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sterol¹

C20: shortened from cholesterol , ergosterol , etc

Example Sentences

Traces of sterol lipids, which come from cell membranes, have been found in rocks up to 1.6 billion years old.

From Science Daily

In the new work, Burke's group worked again with Rienstra's group to find that AmB similarly kills human kidney cells by extracting cholesterol, the most common sterol in people.

From Science Daily

But cholesterol, a closely related sterol, performs much the same function in human cells.

From Science Magazine

Most modern eukaryotes rely on fat-like compounds called sterols, such as cholesterol, to build cell membranes and carry out other cellular functions.

From Scientific American

Geochemists and paleontologists look to fossilized traces of these sterols as evidence for the presence of eukaryotes in ancient ecosystems.

From Science Magazine