Organic compounds found in foods like bread, pasta, and fruits that your body breaks down into sugar for energy.
From French 'carbone' (carbon) and Latin 'hydra' (water), combined with 'ate' (chemical compound). The name comes from early chemists observing these molecules had a carbon backbone with water attached, though the structure is actually more complex than that simple formula suggested.
Carbohydrates got their name because scientists thought they were literally just carbon plus water, but that's not quite right—it's actually a triumph of how chemistry naming works even when the underlying idea is a bit oversimplified.
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