A carbohydrate containing a large number of saccharide groups; e.g., starch. Cf.:oligosaccharide. SYN: glycan.
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poly·sac·cha·ride -'sak-ə-.rīd n a carbohydrate that can be decomposed by hydrolysis into two or more molecules of monosaccharides esp one (as cellulose, starch, or glycogen) containing many monosaccharide units and marked by complexity called also glycan
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n.
a carbohydrate formed from many monosaccharides joined together in long linear or branched chains. Polysaccharides have two important functions: (1) as storage forms of energy; for example glycogen in animals and starch in plants, and (2) as structural elements; for example mucopolysaccharide in animals and cellulose in plants.
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poly·sac·cha·ride (pol″e-sakґə-rīd) a carbohydrate that on hydrolysis yields a large number of monosaccharides (variously defined as five or more to eleven or more). Cf. oligosaccharide.Medical dictionary. 2011.