| ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷+ noun
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary glycol + aldehyde
: a compound that in solution exists as the monomeric hydroxy aldehyde HOCH 2 CHO and as such is the simplest monosaccharide but that in the anhydrous state exists only as the crystalline dimer C 4 H 8 O 4 ; hydroxy-acetaldehyde — compare diose