Carbohydrate Definition

kärbō-hīdrāt
carb, carbohydrates, carbs
noun
carbohydrates
Any of certain organic compounds, including the sugars, starches, and celluloses, which usually have the general formula Cx(H2O)y: carbohydrates are subdivided into monosaccharides, disaccharides, etc., and form an important class of foods in animal nutrition, supplying energy to the body.
Webster's New World
A food, such as bread, rice, or potatoes, that is composed largely of these substances.
American Heritage Medicine

(organic chemistry, nutrition) A sugar, starch, or cellulose that is a food source of energy for an animal or plant; a saccharide.

These microbes are primarily responsible for breaking down cellulose and other carbohydrates into volatile fatty acids (VFAs).
Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Carbohydrate

Noun

Singular:
carbohydrate
Plural:
carbohydrates

Origin of Carbohydrate

  • From their general formula Cn(H2O)n; they were once thought to be hydrates of carbon.

    From Wiktionary

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