| ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ at mono- + noun
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary mon- + sacchar- + -ide; probably originally formed as German monosaccharid
: any of the class of simple sugars that contain in each molecule one or more alcoholic hydroxyl groups and one carbonyl group of aldehyde or ketone character or its equivalent as a cyclic hemiacetal and that are classed as aldoses or ketoses and further according to the number of carbon atoms present with pentoses and hexoses the most common : glycose 2