Meanings
plural inositols
- countableuncountablebiochemistryA simple carbocyclic sugar (hexahydroxycyclohexane; chemical formula: C₆H₁₂O₆) which occurs in animal and plant tissue. Once treated as part of the vitamin B complex, but is not a vitamin as it can be synthesized by the body.
Synonyms: inosite
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA simple carbocyclic sugar (hexahydroxycyclohexane; chemical formula: C₆H₁₂O₆) which occurs in animal and plant tissue. Once treated as part of the vitamin B complex, but is not a vitamin as it can be synthesized by the body.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*wéyHs
- Proto-Hellenic*wīs
- Ancient Greek*ϝῑ́ς (*wī́s)
- Ancient Greekῑ̓νός (īnós)
- Englishinosite
- Akkadian𒎎𒋆𒁉𒍣𒁕 (guḫlum)
- Aramaicכוחלא (kuḥlā)
- Arabicكُحْل (kuḥl)
- Andalusian Arabicكُحُول (kuḥūl)
- Medieval Latinalcoho
- Middle Englishalcofol
- Englishalcohol
- Englishinositol
From its former name inosite + -ol (“an alcohol”), from Ancient Greek ἰνός (inós, genitive singular of ἴς (ís, “sinew, tendon”)) + -ite.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 肌醇
- 肌醇 (jīchún)carbocyclic sugar
Czech inositol
- inositolcarbocyclic sugar
Japanese イノシトール
- イノシトール (inoshitōru)carbocyclic sugar
Korean 이노시톨
- 이노시톨 (inositol)carbocyclic sugar
Romanian inozitol
- inozitolcarbocyclic sugar
Cite this entry
inositol. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inositol
“inositol.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inositol. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “inositol,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inositol.
Source: inositol on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.