fruc·tose (frŭk'tōs', frʊk'-)
n.
A very sweet sugar, C₆H₁₂O₆, occurring in many fruits and honey and used as a preservative for foodstuffs and as an intravenous nutrient. Also called fruit sugar, levulose.

[Latin frūctus, fruit; see fruit + -OSE².]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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