gəˈlakˌtōs also -ōz noun
( -s )
Etymology: French, from galact- + -ose
: an aldose sugar HOCH 2 (CHOH) 4 CHO that is less soluble and less sweet than glucose and that is known in dextrorotatory, levorotatory, and racemic forms of which the dextrorotatory d -form is obtained by hydrolysis of lactose melibiose, raffinose, or certain polysaccharides (as agar and pectin) and the levorotatory l -form by hydrolysis of flaxseed mucilage — compare glucose illustration