| ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷+ noun
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary hemi- (I) + cellulose
: any of various polysaccharides that accompany cellulose and lignin in the skeletal substances of wood and green plants and that resemble cellulose in being insoluble in water and hydrolyzable to simple sugar units by acids but differ from it in being soluble in alkali and presumably of smaller molecular dimensions, in undergoing acid hydrolysis more easily, and in giving rise on hydrolysis not only to glucose but also to uronic acids, xylose, galactose, and other carbohydrates — compare cellulosan , pentosan , polyuronide
• hemi·cellulosic “+ adjective