fructose

noun

fruc·​tose ˈfrək-ˌtōs 

ˈfrük-,

ˈfru̇k-  -ˌtōz 

1

: a crystalline sugar C₆H₁₂O₆ sweeter and more soluble than glucose

2

: the very sweet levorotatory d-form of fructose that occurs especially in fruit juices and honey

called also fruit sugar, levulose

Examples of fructose in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Agave nectar is about 80% fructose, so excess consumption may stress the liver. —Isabel Vasquez Rd Ldn, Health, 17 July 2024

Most fruits contain some fructose, a monosaccharide (single sugar molecule) considered a natural sugar. —Jamie Johnson, Verywell Health, 11 July 2024

When worker bees consume nectar, it gets stored in the honey stomach, where digestive enzymes get to work to transform it into glucose and fructose, Sánchez-Blanco says. —Caroline C. Boyle, USA TODAY, 26 June 2024

Some have added sugars like fructose, glucose and sucrose. —Katia Hetter, CNN, 25 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin frūctus fruit entry 1 + -ose entry 2

Note: The term was apparently introduced by the British chemist William Allen Miller (1817-70) in Elements of Chemistry: Theoretical and Practical, Part III, Organic Chemistry (London, 1857), p. 57.

First Known Use

circa 1864, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

fructose

noun

fruc·​tose ˈfrək-ˌtōs  ˈfru̇k- 

: a very sweet sugar that dissolves easily and occurs especially in fruit juices and honey

Medical Definition

fructose

noun

fruc·​tose ˈfrək-ˌtōs  ˈfrük-  ˈfru̇k- 

-ˌtōz

1

: an optically active sugar C₆H₁₂O₆ that differs from glucose in having a ketonic rather than an aldehydic carbonyl group

2

: the very sweet soluble levorotatory D-form of fructose that occurs especially in fruit juices and honey

called also levulose