Cellulose
/ˈsɛljuˌloʊs/
Definitions
A polysaccharide consisting of chains of glucose monomers; the main structural component of plant cell walls.
/ˈsɛljuˌloʊs/
A complex carbohydrate
Plants use cellulose to build their cell walls.
💡 Simply: Imagine tiny bricks made of sugar that plants use to build their strong walls. That's cellulose! Like the strong walls of a castle, plants use it to hold themselves up.
👶 For kids: It's like a strong, sticky sugar that makes plants stiff and strong.
More Examples
Wood is mostly made of cellulose.
How It's Used
"Cellulose is the main structural component of plant cell walls."
"The chemical formula of cellulose is (C6H10O5)n."
From French cellulose, from cellulose (1838), coined by Anselme Payen from Latin cellula "small cell" + -ose, a suffix used to form names of sugars and similar substances.
First identified in the 19th century, cellulose became increasingly important with the development of industrial applications.
Memory tip
Cellulose: Think 'cell' walls are made of 'lose' (glucose) chains.
Word Origin
"small cell"