a white, crystalline, water-soluble hexose sugar, C6H12O6, obtained in its dextrorotatory form from milk sugar by hydrolysis and in its levorotatory form from mucilages.
Main Entry: ga·lac·tose Pronunciation: g&-'lak-"tOs, -"tOz Function: noun : an optically active sugarC6H12O6 that is less soluble and less sweet than glucose and is known in dextrorotatory, levorotatory, and racemic forms