Glycoside
/ˈɡlaɪkəsaɪd/noun
An organic compound that yields a sugar and another substance when hydrolyzed.
Did you know?Foxglove contains cardiac glycosides such as digitoxin, compounds historically used as medicines but capable of dangerously disrupting the heartbeat.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dl̥k-u-
“Sweet; a reconstructed root associated with sweetness”
Ancient Greek
Greek
γλυκύς (glykýs)
“Sweet”
17th Century
French
glyc(o)-
“A combining form referring to sugar or sweetness, based on Greek glykýs”
1830s
French
glycoside
“A compound related to glucose or sugar, formed with glyc(o)- and the chemical suffix -ide”
19th Century
English
glycoside
“A compound that can yield sugar on chemical decomposition”
Modern English
English
glycoside
“A compound whose sugar component is bonded to a non-sugar group and can be released by hydrolysis”