Definition

A type of carbohydrate found in plant cell walls that is less complex than cellulose and can be broken down into simpler sugars.

Example

Hemicellulose plays an important role in the structure of plant cell walls.

Conversation

Have you ever heard of hemicellulose?

Yeah, I think it's something related to plant cell walls, right?

Exactly! It's less complex than cellulose but still important.

That makes sense; I guess it helps with the structure of plants.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Hemicellulose → It is formed from "hemi-" (from Greek "hēmi-", meaning half) and "cellulose" (from Latin "cellula", meaning small cell, combined with "-ose", a suffix used in chemistry to denote carbohydrates). The word "hemicellulose" refers to a substance that is a half or partial form of cellulose, which is a major component of plant cell walls.

Memory Tip

Think of 'half' ('hemi-') of a 'cell' ('cellulose') — that's why hemicellulose is a partial form of cellulose.

Visually Confused Words