What does cellose mean?
Cellose is a rare, chiefly archaic English noun for cellulose, the complex carbohydrate that forms much of the structural framework of plant cell walls. In older scientific and industrial writing, the shorter form appeared in discussions of cotton, timber, paper, and other plant fibres. Its historical use should not be confused with cellobiose: cellobiose is a sugar composed of two glucose units, whereas cellose referred to the larger structural material cellulose. Because cellulose is the normal term in current scientific, educational, and commercial English, cellose now sounds dated and usually needs historical context. The word remains useful as a marker in older texts on materials and plant structure. Its name also reflects the central place of the cell in the story: cellulose was identified as the material forming the walls of plant cells, and the older term connects the substance directly with that microscopic structure.
nounA formerly used chemical name for cellulose, the structural polysaccharide that forms much of the framework of plant cell walls.
- An obsolete or archaic chemical term for cellulose.
"The nineteenth-century chemist described the principal substance in cotton fibre as cellose."
"The early report identified the fibrous material as cellose."
"Archival references to cellose are common in historical studies of textile manufacture."
Cellose is normally treated as a mass noun, like cellulose, and is used without a plural.
"The laboratory measured the cellose in each sample."
Cellose is cellulose under an older name—and its very first syllable points to the plant cell at the heart of the material.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does cellose come from?
The name cellose belongs to the nineteenth-century chemical vocabulary and is French in immediate origin, with the element cellule derived from Latin cellula, meaning “small cell.” The chemical suffix -ose was added in the naming tradition used for sugars and related substances. Cellose was applied to the plant-wall substance now generally called cellulose; related words such as cellular and cellule preserve the same Latin root.
How cellose is actually used
Rare and chiefly historical or technical; current scientific and general usage overwhelmingly favors cellulose.
Easily confused with cellose
Cellose is an old name for the same plant-wall substance that is now generally called cellulose.
Cellobiose is a disaccharide made of two glucose units, whereas cellose is an old name for cellulose itself.