sorbitol
1
6.0
- noun
- /ˈsɔrbɪˌtɔl/
- Specialized
- During the first three days of conventional treatment, patients were instructed to use daily enemas (120 mL, 1 mg sorbitol, 250 mg per mL, Klyx) at home.
Examples
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"... speaking of sugars that give the runs, what is sorbitol?
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Enough sorbitol can lead to very liquid stools, indeed.
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And, speaking of sugars that give the runs, what is sorbitol?
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Enough sorbitol can lead to very liquid stools, indeed.
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I discovered that I am very sensitive to sorbitol when I bought a box of those "100 calories" cookie snack packs.
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" Therein lies sorbitol's other use as a laxative.
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Therein lies sorbitol's other use as a laxative.
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Many diet products contain sorbitol, which helps to improve digestion while adding sweetness.
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Doctors sometimes recommend sorbitol as a safe laxative to relieve constipation by drawing water into the intestines.
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Moderate amounts of sorbitol are safe, but large amounts may have a strong laxative effect and even cause diarrhea.
Surface Forms
Morphology
sorbitol = sorbit (opaque) = sorbit + ol
The suffix '-ol' is a technical chemical marker for alcohols and the base 'sorbit' is not a common standalone English word, so the meaning is not predictable for an average learner.
Etymology
Sorbitol comes from sorb-, from the Latin name 'Sorbus' for the rowan tree where the sugar was first found, and the ending -ol means 'alcohol'. So, sorbitol is a sugar 'alcohol' that tastes sweet but can also pull water into the intestines, which is why it is used as a mild laxative.