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ERGOSTEROL

 - 5 dictionary results

er⋅gos⋅ter⋅ol

  [ur-gos-tuh-rohl, -rawl]
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–noun Biochemistry.
a colorless, crystalline, water-insoluble sterol, C28H43OH, that occurs in ergot and yeast and that, when irradiated with ultraviolet light, is converted to vitamin D.
Origin:
1885–90; ergo- 2 + sterol
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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er·gos·ter·ol   (ûr-gŏs'tə-rôl', -rōl')   
n.  A crystalline sterol, C28H43OH, synthesized by yeast from sugars or derived from ergot and converted to vitamin D2 when exposed to ultraviolet radiation.

[ergo(t) + sterol.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: er·gos·ter·ol
Pronunciation: (")&r-'gäs-t&-"rol, -"rOl
Function: noun
: a crystalline steroid alcoholC28H44O that occurs especially in yeast, molds, and ergot and is converted by ultraviolet irradiation ultimately into vitamin D2
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

ergosterol er·gos·ter·ol (ûr-gŏs'tə-rôl', -rōl')
n.
A crystalline sterol synthesized by yeast from sugars or derived from ergot and converted to vitamin D2 when exposed to ultraviolet radiation.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia

ergosterol

a white crystalline organic solid of the molecular formula C28H44O belonging to the steroid family. It is found only in fungi (e.g, Saccharomyces and other yeasts and Claviceps purpurea, the cause of ergot, a fungal disease of cereal grasses) and is chemically related to cholesterol. Ergosterol is converted by ultraviolet irradiation into ergocalciferol, or vitamin D2, a nutritional factor that promotes proper bone development in humans and other mammals.

Learn more about ergosterol with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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