Xylitol
/ˈzaɪ.lɪ.tɔːl/noun
A sugar alcohol used as a low-calorie sweetener.
Did you know?Xylitol was named from Greek xylon, “wood,” because it was first associated with the wood sugar xylose, and the “-itol” ending marks it as an alcohol in chemical naming.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ξύλον (xylon)
“wood, log, timber”
19th Century
German
Xylit
“a wood-derived sugar alcohol”
19th Century
German/International Scientific
Xylitol
“the alcohol form of xylitol-related wood sugar chemistry”
Modern English
English
xylitol
“a sugar alcohol used as a sweetener”