Carbohydrate
/ˌkɑːr.boʊˈhaɪ.dreɪt/noun
An organic compound, such as a sugar, starch, or cellulose, consisting chiefly of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
Did you know?The name reflects an early chemical theory that sugars had the composition of carbon plus water, even though carbohydrates are not simply carbon hydrated with water.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ker-
“To burn, heat, or grow; the ancient root behind Latin words associated with burning.”
Classical Latin
Latin
carbō
“Coal or glowing charcoal.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
hydōr
“Water; the source of the hydro- element.”
17th Century
French/Latin
carbone / carbo
“Carbon, the chemical element named from Latin carbō, charcoal.”
Early 19th Century
English
hydrate
“A compound understood as containing water; from Greek hydōr through French and scientific Latin.”
1840s
English
carbohydrate
“A chemical term formed from carbon and hydrate, based on the then-common idea that sugars were carbon plus water.”