Fucose
/ˈfjuːkoʊs/noun
A six-carbon sugar found in seaweeds, plants, and the complex carbohydrates attached to many animal proteins and cells.
Did you know?Fucose is part of certain blood-group antigens, meaning a sugar first associated with seaweed also helps define biological identity on human cells.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
phŷkos
“Seaweed, especially a brown or red marine alga; also associated with a reddish cosmetic dye.”
Classical Latin
Latin
fūcus
“Seaweed or a marine alga; later also rouge or cosmetic coloring.”
18th Century
Scientific Latin
Fucus
“A botanical genus name used for rockweeds and related brown algae.”
19th Century
Scientific English
fucose
“A newly characterized sugar named from the seaweed genus Fucus, from which related compounds were obtained or recognized.”
Modern English
English
fucose
“A monosaccharide occurring in seaweeds, plants, microorganisms, and animal cell-surface glycans.”