monosaccharides

IPA/ˌmɒn.əʊˈsæk.ər.aɪd/
IPA/ˌmɑː.noʊˈsæk.ə.raɪd/

monosaccharides — noun

  • monosaccharidessingular
  • monosaccharidesesplural

1. Simple sugar molecules that are the most basic form of carbohydrate. Unlike star

1.noun
Definition

Simple sugar molecules that are the most basic form of carbohydrate. Unlike starches or complex sugars, each molecule cannot be broken into smaller sugar units through hydrolysis — common examples include glucose and fructose.

Example

Henrik learned that monosaccharides like glucose and fructose are the smallest building blocks of carbohydrates.

technical register, usually plural in scientific writing

When Dario examined the apple juice label, he noticed monosaccharides were listed separately from fibre.

Common collocations
  • simple monosaccharides
  • monosaccharides such as glucose
  • monosaccharides are absorbed
  • monosaccharides include fructose
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

monosaccharide(s) + verb (e.g., are found / include / form)

Usage Note

Almost always used in the plural form when referring to the class of sugars as a group. The singular form ('monosaccharide') is used when counting individual types: 'Glucose is a monosaccharide.'

Common Mistakes

Monosaccharides can be broken down into smaller sugars.
Monosaccharides cannot be broken down into smaller sugars through hydrolysis.
The defining feature of a monosaccharide is that it is the simplest sugar unit, not divisible into smaller sugars.

Word family

  • monosaccharide
    noun
  • polysaccharide
    noun
  • disaccharide
    noun

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three terms relate to the same biochemical class, but with different levels of formality and precision. 'Simple sugar' is the everyday term used on nutrition labels and in casual health advice — it covers monosaccharides like glucose without requiring scientific vocabulary. 'Simple carbohydrate' is a broader category that includes both monosaccharides and disaccharides (such as sucrose); a nutritionist might say 'eat fewer simple carbohydrates' to discourage both table sugar and fruit sugar together. The singular 'monosaccharide' is strictly scientific: a researcher would say 'glucose is a monosaccharide' when classifying a specific compound, never when giving dietary guidance. In a typical learner's context, 'simple sugar' is the safest choice for general English; reserve 'monosaccharide' for academic writing about chemistry or biology.

simple sugarsimple carbohydratemonosaccharide (singular)

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • simple monosaccharides
  • monosaccharide units

Prepositions

  • into monosaccharides
  • monosaccharides in fruit

Etymology

GreekEnglish

From Greek 'mono-' meaning 'single, alone' and 'sakkharon' meaning 'sugar'. The term was coined in the late 19th century as chemists began classifying carbohydrates by their molecular complexity — monosaccharides being the simplest level that cannot be split into smaller sugar molecules.

First known use

1895

1895, in the meaning defined above