Meanings
nouncarbohydrate (plural carbohydrates)
plural carbohydrates
- nutritionchemistryA sugar, starch, or cellulose that is a food source of energy for an animal or plant.
These microbes are primarily responsible for breaking down cellulose and other carbohydrates into volatile fatty acids (VFAs).
1 more example
Oxygen levels on Earth skyrocketed 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis: the ability to convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and waste oxygen using solar energy.
2013 September-October, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American ScientistSynonyms: carb, saccharide
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA sugar, starch, or cellulose that is a food source of energy for an animal or plant.
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nounan essential structural component of living cells and source of energy for animals; includes simple sugars with small molecules as well as macromolecular substances; are classified according to the number of monosaccharide groups they contain
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Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*kerh₃-der.?
- Latincarbōnem
- Frenchcarbone
- Englishcarbon
- Englishcarbo-
- Proto-Indo-European*wed-
- Proto-Indo-European*wódr̥
- Proto-Hellenic*údōr
- Ancient Greekῡ̆̔́δωρ (hū̆́dōr)
- Ancient Greekὑδρο- (hudro-)
- Frenchhydr-
- Frenchhydrate
- Englishhydrate
- Englishcarbohydrate
From their general formula Cₙ(H₂O)ₙ; they were once thought to be hydrates of carbon.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic كَرْبُوهِيدْرَات
- كَرْبُوهِيدْرَات (karbūhīdrāt)organic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Bulgarian въглехидрат
- въглехидрат (văglehidrat)organic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Catalan carbohidrat, hidrat de carboni
- carbohidratorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
- hidrat de carboniorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
- glúcidorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Chinese Cantonese 碳水化合物, 醣類 /糖类
- 碳水化合物 (taan³ seoi² faa³ hap⁶ mat⁶)organic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
- 醣類 /糖类 (tong⁴ leoi⁶)organic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
- 糖類 /糖类 (tong⁴ leoi⁶)organic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Chinese Mandarin 碳水化合物, 醣類 /糖类
- 碳水化合物 (tànshuǐhuàhéwù)organic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
- 醣類 /糖类 (tánglèi)organic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
- 糖類 /糖类 (tánglèi)organic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Czech sacharid, uhlohydrát
- sacharidorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
- uhlohydrátorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Danish kulhydrat
- kulhydratorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Dutch koolhydraat
- koolhydraatorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Esperanto karbonhidrato
- karbonhidratoorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Estonian süsivesik
- süsivesikorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Finnish hiilihydraatti
- hiilihydraattiorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
French glucide
- glucideorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
German Kohlenhydrat
- Kohlenhydratorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Greek υδατάνθρακας
- υδατάνθρακας (ydatánthrakas)organic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Hawaiian kōpia
- kōpiaorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Hindi कार्बोहाइड्रेट
- कार्बोहाइड्रेट (kārbohāiḍreṭ)organic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Hungarian szénhidrát
- szénhidrátorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Icelandic kolvetni
- kolvetniorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Indonesian karbohidrat
- karbohidratorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Irish carbaihiodráit
- carbaihiodráitorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Italian carboidrato
- carboidratoorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Japanese 炭水化物, 含水炭素
- 炭水化物 (tansuikabutsu)organic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
- 含水炭素 (gansuitanso)organic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Korean 탄수화물
- 탄수화물 (tansuhwamul)organic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Latvian ogļhidrāts
- ogļhidrātsorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Lithuanian angliavandenis
- angliavandenisorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Malay karbohidrat
- karbohidratorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Māori warowaihā
- warowaihāorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Norwegian Bokmål karbohydrat, kullhydrat
- karbohydratorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
- kullhydratorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Persian کربوهیدرات
- کربوهیدرات (karbohidrât)organic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Polish węglowodan, sacharyd
- węglowodanorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
- sacharydorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Portuguese carboidrato
- carboidratoorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Romanian carbohidrat
- carbohidratorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Russian углево́д, карбогидра́т
- углево́д (uglevód)organic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
- карбогидра́т (karbogidrát)organic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Scottish Gaelic gualaisg
- gualaisgorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Slovak sacharid, uhľohydrát
- sacharidorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
- uhľohydrátorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Spanish carbohidrato, hidrato de carbono
- carbohidratoorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
- hidrato de carbonoorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Swahili hamirojo, kabohaidreti
- hamirojoorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
- kabohaidretiorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Swedish kolhydrat
- kolhydratorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Thai คาร์โบไฮเดรต
- คาร์โบไฮเดรต (kaa-boo-hai-drèet)organic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Turkish karbonhidrat
- karbonhidratorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Ukrainian вуглево́д
- вуглево́д (vuhlevód)organic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Vietnamese hyđat-cacbon, than thủy
- hyđat-cacbonorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
- than thủyorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
- than nướcorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Welsh carbohydrad
- carbohydradorganic compounds such as sugar, starch or cellulose
Cite this entry
APA
carbohydrate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carbohydrate
MLA
“carbohydrate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carbohydrate. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “carbohydrate,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carbohydrate.
Source: carbohydrate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.