carbohydrate
nounUK /kɑːbəʊˈhaɪdɹeɪt/ · US /kɑɹboʊˈhaɪdɹeɪt/
Etymology From their general formula Cₙ(H₂O)ₙ; they were once thought to be hydrates of carbon.
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Chemistry, Natural sciences, Organic chemistry, Physical sciences A sugar, starch, or cellulose that is a food source of energy for an animal or plant.
- These microbes are primarily responsible for breaking down cellulose and other carbohydrates into volatile fatty acids (VFAs).
- Oxygen levels on Earth skyrocketed 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis: the ability to convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and waste oxygen using solar energy.2013 September-October, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist:
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Broadly, Colloquial, Metonymically Any food rich in starch or other carbohydrates.
- I'm cutting down on carbohydrates like bread and pasta.
- Synonyms
- carb, carbohydrate, saccharide
- Derived terms
- amino carbohydrate, anticarbohydrate, carbohydrate loading, carbo-load, complex carbohydrate, lipocarbohydrate, noncarbohydrate, polycarbohydrate, simple carbohydrate, thiocarbohydrate, white carbohydrate
- Related terms
- :Category:Carbohydrates
- Hypernyms
- organic compound, chemical compound
- Hyponyms
- monosaccharide, decasaccharide, disaccharide, heptasaccharide, hexasaccharide, trisaccharide, tetrasaccharide, octasaccharide, oligosaccharide, nonasaccharide, polysaccharide, pentasaccharide, sugar, starch, cellulose, fructose, sucrose
- Holonyms
- food