cellulose








noun

  1. an inert carbohydrate, (C6H10O5)n, the chief constituent of the cell walls of plants and of wood, cotton, hemp, paper, etc.

noun

  1. a polysaccharide consisting of long unbranched chains of linked glucose units: the main constituent of plant cell walls and used in making paper, rayon, and film
n.

1840, from French cellulose, coined c.1835 by French chemist Anselme Payen (1795-1871) and confirmed 1839, from noun use of adjective cellulose “consisting of cells,” 18c., from Latin cellula (see cellulite) + -ose (see -ose (2)).

n.

  1. A complex carbohydrate that is composed of glucose units, forms the main constituent of the cell wall in most plants, and is important in the manufacture of numerous products, such as pharmaceuticals.

  1. A carbohydrate that is a polymer composed of glucose units and that is the main component of the cell walls of most plants. It is insoluble in water and is used to make paper, cellophane, textiles, explosives, and other products.
  2. See cellulose acetate.

A stringy, fibrous substance that forms the main material in the cell walls of plants. Cellulose is an organic molecule (see also organic molecules), composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.

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