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Glite Dictionary
wood sugar

wood sugar

7.4
A sweetener made from wood or straw often used instead of sugar by people with diabetes
  • noun
  • /wʊd ˈʃʌɡər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : azúcar de madera
  • Scientists extract wood sugar from straw for use in alternative sweeteners.

Examples

  • Some chewing gums contain wood sugar instead of regular table sugar.

  • Many products now contain wood sugar as a sweetener.

  • Foods sweetened with wood sugar are often marketed to people with diabetes.

  • Is wood sugar safe for diabetics?

  • In many low-calorie foods, wood sugar is used as a sweetener suitable for diabetics.

  • Products labeled as diabetic-friendly often contain wood sugar to provide sweetness without raising blood sugar levels.

  • Nutritious snacks for people with diabetes sometimes include wood sugar derived from natural sources.

Synonyms

xylose
vswood sugar
  • Specialized
9.9

Sugar from wood or straw that people use as a sweetener and in lab tests

is mainly used as a sweetener in diabetic foods rather than research

Surface Forms

wood sugar singular
wood sugars plural

Morphology

wood + sugar

The compound denotes literally a sugar derived from wood/straw, so its meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'wood' + 'sugar'. Although the specific technical referent (xylose) is specialized, an average B1 learner who knows both constituents would infer it denotes a sugar made from wood, making it transparent.

Etymology

Wood sugar comes from the simple image of wood plus sugar: it is sugar made from wood or straw instead of from cane or beets. Because it does not raise blood sugar as much as regular sugar, it is used as a 'sweetener' for people with 'diabetes'.