-ose

Suffix used in biochemistry

The suffix -ose (/oʊz, oʊs/) is used in organic chemistry to form the names of sugars. This Latin suffix means "full of", "abounding in", "given to", or "like".[1] Numerous systems exist to name specific sugars more descriptively. The suffix is also used more generally in English to form adjectives from nouns, with the sense "full of",[2] as in "verbose": wordy, full of words.

Monosaccharides, the simplest sugars, may be named according to the number of carbon atoms in each molecule of the sugar: pentose is a five-carbon monosaccharide, and hexose is a six-carbon monosaccharide. Aldehyde monosaccharides may be called aldoses; ketone monosaccharides may be called ketoses.

Larger sugars such as disaccharides and polysaccharides can be named to reflect their qualities. Lactose, a disaccharide found in milk, gets its name from the Latin word for milk combined with the sugar suffix; its name means "milk sugar". The polysaccharide that makes up plant starch is named amylose, or "starch sugar"; see amyl.

There are these theories about the origin of the -ose suffix in chemistry:-

1. Derived from glucose, an important hexose whose name came from Greek γλυκύς = "sweet".
2. Derived from sucrose, whose name came from Latin sucrum = "sugar" plus the common Latin adjective-forming suffix -ōsus; Latin sucrosus would mean "sugary".

## References

[edit]

1. ^ ose | Define -ose at Dictionary.com
2. ^ "-ose". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.) suffix2

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Organic chemistry affixes

Carbon-based|

* -ane (alkane)
* -ene (alkene)
* -ine (unsaturated hydrocarbon)
* -yne (alkyne)
* alk- (nonaromatic hydrocarbon)
* ar- (aromatic)
* cyclo- (cyclic)

Oxygen-based|

* -al (aldehyde)
* -oate (ester)
* -oic acid (carboxylic acid)
* -ol (alcohol)
* -one (ketone)
* -ose (sugar)

Nitrogen-based|

* -ine (alkaloid)
* aza- (N replaces C)

Sulfur-based|

* thio- (S replaces O)

Counting axial atoms|

* meth- (1)
* eth- (2)
* prop- (3)
* but- (4)
* (and the rest are ordinary Greek/Latin prefixes)

Other|

* -ase (enzyme)
* -yl (radical)

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