glucose

[gloo-kohs] /ˈglu koʊs/
noun, Biochemistry
1.
a sugar, C 6 H 12 O 6 , having several optically different forms, the common dextrorotatory form (dextroglucose, or -glucose) occurring in many fruits, animal tissues and fluids, etc., and having a sweetness about one half that of ordinary sugar, and the rare levorotatory form (levoglucose, or -glucose) not naturally occurring.
2.
Also called starch syrup. a syrup containing dextrose, maltose, and dextrine, obtained by the incomplete hydrolysis of starch.
Origin
1830-40; < French < Greek glyk(ýs) sweet + French -ose -ose2
Related forms
glucosic, adjective
nonglucose, noun
Examples from the web for glucose
  • The blood glucose levels are then referred to as fasting blood glucose concentrations.
  • In addition, your brain requires two things to survive: oxygen and glucose.
  • But the breakthrough everybody is waiting for is a way of producing glucose really cheaply.
  • Scientists know that humans need plenty of a sugar called glucose to keep their brains functioning.
  • The water in the frog's cells freezes and is replaced with glucose and urea to keep cells from collapsing.
  • The relationship of calcium, arginine, and glucose to gastric inhibitory polypeptide augmentation of insulin secretion.
  • It is not clear why intuition is independent of glucose.
  • Plants also use glucose to make cellulose, a substance they use to grow and build cell walls.
  • Diabetes drugs help to manage the body's constantly fluctuating levels of blood glucose.
  • Significantly, it could also be used to monitor your own vital signs, such as body temperature and blood glucose level.
British Dictionary definitions for glucose

glucose

/ˈɡluːkəʊz; -kəʊs/
noun
1.
a white crystalline monosaccharide sugar that has several optically active forms, the most abundant being dextrose: a major energy source in metabolism. Formula: C6H12O6
2.
a yellowish syrup (or, after desiccation, a solid) containing dextrose, maltose, and dextrin, obtained by incomplete hydrolysis of starch: used in confectionery, fermentation, etc
Derived Forms
glucosic (ɡluːˈkɒsɪk) adjective
Word Origin
C19: from French, from Greek gleukos sweet wine; related to Greek glukus sweet
Word Origin and History for glucose
n.

1840, from French glucose (1838), said to have been coined by French professor Eugène Melchior Péligot (1811-1890) from Greek gleukos "must, sweet wine," related to glykys "sweet, delightful, dear," from *glku-, dissimilated in Greek from PIE *dlk-u- "sweet" (cf. Latin dulcis). It first was obtained from grape sugar.

glucose in Medicine

glucose glu·cose (glōō'kōs')
n.
A monosaccharide sugar the blood that serves as the major energy source of the body; it occurs in most plant and animal tissue. Also called blood sugar.

glucose in Science
glucose
(gl'kōs')
A monosaccharide sugar found in plant and animal tissues. Glucose is a product of photosynthesis, mostly incorporated into the disaccharide sugar sucrose rather than circulating free in the plant. Glucose is essential for energy production in animal cells. It is transported by blood and lymph to all the cells of the body, where it is metabolized to form carbon dioxide and water along with ATP, the main source of chemical energy for cellular processes. Glucose molecules can also be linked into chains to form the polysaccharides cellulose, glycogen, and starch. Chemical formula: C6H12O6. See more at cellular respiration, Krebs cycle, photosynthesis.

glucose in Culture
glucose [(glooh-kohs)]

The most common form of sugar, found extensively in the bodies of living things; a molecule composed of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen.

Note: Glucose is involved in the production of energy in both plants and animals.