“+ noun
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary muc- + polysaccharide
: any of a class of polysaccharides (as chondroitinsulfuric acid, mucoitinsulfuric acid, or heparin) that are widely distributed in the body, that bind water to form thick gelatinous material serving to cement cells together and to lubricate joints and bursas, that are derived from a hexosamine (as glucosamine), a uronic acid, and often sulfuric acid, and that are constituents of mucoproteins, glycoproteins, and blood-group substances