lactose

noun

lac·tose | \ ˈlak-ˌtōs

, -ˌtōz\

Definition of lactose

: a disaccharide sugar C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁ that is present in milk and yields glucose and galactose upon hydrolysis and yields especially lactic acid upon fermentation

Examples of lactose in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

More than 90% of China’s population is deficient in lactase, the enzyme that breaks down the milk sugar lactose in the gut, per a 1984 study. — Eamon Barrett, Fortune, "How Oatly Plans to Quench China’s Thirst for Milk," 23 July 2019 Everything at the bakery is vegan and free of dairy, eggs, lactose and cholesterol. — Ava Garcia, azcentral, "Vegan cinnamon rolls are coming to metro Phoenix. Here's when you can get one for $1," 8 July 2019 Dairy products are allowed, but some carnivore dieters avoid them because lactose is a sugar. — Abby Langer, SELF, "I'm a Registered Dietitian and I Really Don't Want You to Eat a Carnivore Diet," 7 Aug. 2018 The second is disaccharides, which are just two of these single sugar molecules linked together: sucrose, or table sugar (glucose + fructose); lactose, or milk sugar (glucose + galactose); and maltose, or malt sugar (glucose + glucose). — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "Can Our Bodies Even Tell the Difference Between Naturally Occurring and Added Sugars?," 24 June 2019 Most of their food is naturally dairy- and lactose-free. — Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, "Gluten or dairy-free? Try these 7 allergy-friendly places in Louisville," 24 June 2019 So many factors to consider: cost, setting, inside, outside, lactose-free, vegan, organic, Brent says. — Kathy Berdan, Twin Cities, "The Summer of Ice Cream and Parks: A Roseville dad and daughter take a sweet tour through the Twin Cities," 16 June 2019 The cinnamon rolls are free of dairy, lactose, eggs or cholesterol. — Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, "Cinnaholic cinnamon rolls coming to Concord," 5 June 2019 That Got Away is a Milkshake IPA brewed with pineapple, coconut and lactose at 8.4% alcohol and 20 IBUs. Saturday, June 15: Granite City Food & Brewery will offer $5 growler fills of any growler on Father’s Day weekend. — Marc Bona, cleveland.com, "Beer calendar: Platform’s 5th anniversary party, Great Lakes dinner and release, more," 3 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lactose.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

11 Aug 2019

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Time Traveler for lactose

The first known use of lactose was in 1847

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More Definitions for lactose

lactose

noun

English Language Learners Definition of lactose

chemistry : a type of sugar that is present in milk

See the full definition for lactose in the English Language Learners Dictionary

lactose

noun

lac·tose | \ ˈlak-ˌtōs

Kids Definition of lactose

: a sugar that is found in milk

lactose

noun

lac·tose | \ ˈlak-ˌtōs, -ˌtōz

Medical Definition of lactose

: a disaccharide sugar C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁ that is present in milk, yields glucose and galactose upon hydrolysis, yields especially lactic acid upon fermentation, and is used chiefly in foods, medicines, and culture media (as for the manufacture of penicillin)

— called also milk sugar