Plural of fructose; naturally occurring simple sugars found in fruits, honey, and many plants.
From Latin fructus (fruit), with the chemical suffix -ose denoting a sugar, plus the English plural -es. Fructose literally means 'fruit sugar.'
Interestingly, fructose is sweeter than glucose despite being identical in chemical formula—just arranged differently. This molecular difference meant medieval apiculturists knew honey was special long before they understood why: it's fructose-rich, which tastes better than the glucose-dominant table sugar they'd later encounter.
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