INULIN

inulin

(noun) used to manufacture fructose and in assessing kidney function

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

inulin (usually uncountable, plural inulins)

(carbohydrate) A polysaccharide found in the roots and tubers of certain plants, especially the Compositae; it is mostly a polymer of fructose.

Source: Wiktionary


In"u*lin, n. Etym: [From NL. Inula Helenium, the elecampane: cf. F. inuline.] (Chem.)

Definition: A substance of very wide occurrence. It is found dissolved in the sap of the roots and rhizomes of many composite and other plants, as Inula, Helianthus, Campanula, etc., and is extracted by solution as a tasteless, white, semicrystalline substance, resembling starch, with which it is isomeric. It is intermediate in nature between starch and sugar. Called also dahlin, helenin, alantin, etc.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

23 November 2024

THEORETICAL

(adjective) concerned primarily with theories or hypotheses rather than practical considerations; “theoretical science”


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Coffee Trivia

The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch “koffie,” borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” borrowed in turn from the Arabic “qahwah.” The Arabic word qahwah was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.

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