What does glycoside mean?
A glycoside is an organic compound made from a sugar or sugar-like group joined to another chemical component. The sugar portion is called the glycone, while the non-sugar component is called the aglycone; breaking the bond between them releases these two parts. Glycosides occur naturally in many plants, fungi, and other organisms, and they are responsible for a wide range of biological effects. Some are medically useful, as with the cardiac glycosides associated with foxglove, while others can be toxic. Compounds called cyanogenic glycosides can release hydrogen cyanide when plant tissue is damaged. The term is important in chemistry, pharmacology, nutrition, and plant science because it describes a broad structural relationship rather than a single substance. Although many familiar sugars are related to glycosides chemically, a glycoside itself is not simply a carbohydrate: its defining feature is the linkage between a sugar-like portion and another group.
nounAn organic compound containing a sugar or sugar-like group attached to another chemical group. Breaking the bond between these components yields the sugar and the non-sugar portion, known as the aglycone.
- A compound in which a sugar or sugar-like group is chemically linked to another group, yielding a sugar and an aglycone when the linkage is broken.
"The heart-shaped leaves of foxglove contain cardiac glycosides that can affect the heart."
"The heart-shaped leaves of foxglove contain cardiac glycosides that can affect the heart."
"Researchers isolated several glycosides from the plant and tested their biological activity."
The plural is used for multiple individual compounds or when referring to the class as a whole.
"Many medicinal glycosides have been identified in traditional medicinal plants."
Foxglove contains cardiac glycosides that can alter the heart rhythm, turning a familiar garden flower into both medicine and poison.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does glycoside come from?
The English name combines the Greek-derived combining form glyco-, ultimately from Greek glukus, meaning “sweet,” with the chemical suffix -ide. The prefix became associated with sugars and saccharides, allowing related compounds to be named systematically. The same Greek root also underlies cognates such as glucose, glycogen, and glycolysis.
Related word forms
How glycoside is actually used
This is a technical term used chiefly in biochemistry, pharmacology, botany, and related fields. It is normally used in formal or scientific writing, and the plural glycosides is common when discussing compounds individually or as a class.
Easily confused with glycoside
A glucoside is specifically a glycoside whose sugar component is glucose, whereas glycoside is the general term for a compound containing a sugar or sugar-like group.