Arabinoside

/əˌræbɪnoʊˈsaɪd/ noun

Definition

A compound formed when a sugar called arabinose bonds with another molecule, commonly found in plants and used in medicine.

Etymology

From arabinose (a five-carbon sugar named after gum arabic from Arabia) plus the suffix -side (indicating a chemical compound formed from a glycosidic bond). The term emerged in early 20th-century biochemistry.

Kelly Says

Arabinose was named after gum arabic, the sticky substance from acacia trees in Arabia—so a word about a Middle Eastern product became the root for modern pharmaceutical chemistry!

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