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:-
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| Carbon-based |
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| Oxygen-based |
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| Nitrogen-based |
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| Sulfur-based |
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| Counting axial atoms |
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| Other |
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