Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A white, crystalline, water-soluble, slightly sweet alcohol, C6H8(OH)6, used as a dietary supplement and dietetic sweetener and in medical tests of renal function.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Same as mannite.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Chem.) A white crystalline hexose (HO.CH2.(CHOH)4.CH2.OH) of a sweet taste obtained from a so-called manna, the dried sap of the flowering ash (Fraxinus ornus); -- called also mannite, and hydroxy hexane. Cf. dulcite. It is used in pharmacy as excipient and diluent for solids and liquids. It is also used as a food additive for anti-caking properties, or as a sweetener, and, illegally, to "cut" (dilute) illegal drugs such as cocaine or heroin.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun organic chemistry a polyhydroxy alcohol, an isomer of sorbitol, used as an artificial sweetener

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a diuretic (trade name Osmitrol) used to promote the excretion of urine

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[mannit(e) + –ol.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From mannose + -itol

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word mannitol.

Examples

  • And a few brands of pills may contain mannitol, an artificial sugar substitute, as an ingredient.

    Answers to Questions from Readers, part 6 Steve Carper 2007

  • Over the course of two years, Collins and his colleagues administered antibiotics and a type of sugar called mannitol to mice with urinary-tract infections.

    Thestar.com - Home Page Kenyon Wallace 2011

  • The technology, which combines human umbilical cord blood cells and a sugar-alcohol compound called mannitol, is expected to help in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease,

    Boston Business News - Local Boston News | Boston Business Journal 2010

  • Some small studies suggested that treatment with a medication that helps "flush" the system (a diuretic called mannitol) was helpful if used early in the course of the illness; however, a 2002 double blind study (where both the patient and doctor are unaware if they received the medication or a placebo) showed no benefit from this treatment.

    The Times-Reporter Home RSS 2009

  • Osmotic agents, such as mannitol and hypertonic saline (3\%-23. 4\%) are often used to treat elevated ICP.

    Recently Uploaded Slideshows 2009

  • Various sugars, including mannitol, fructose and glucose, were combined with antibiotics and tested on Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

    Years of Sitting on the Job Linked to Cancer Ann Lukits 2011

  • IV mannitol (1g/kg over 30 to 45 minutes) has been used to decrease the neurologic and muscular symptoms associated with ciguatera poisoning. 10,15 Mannitol therapy has gained acceptance as the treatment of choice in ciguatera poisoning but it is also controversial whether it has any therapeutic benefit. 8,10,15,16 Gabapentin is also used for the treatment of ciguatera poisoning but its efficacy is questionable. 13

    Fish poisonings and envenomations 2010

  • Schnorf, H, Taurarii, M, Cundy T. Ciguatera fish poisoning: A double-blind randomized trial of mannitol therapy.

    Fish poisonings and envenomations 2010

  • Gone are the mimetic almonds, made from an almond praliné and encased in a thin, hard shell of mannitol; they have been replaced with mimetic pistachios.

    The Sorcerer’s Apprentices Lisa Abend 2011

  • Various sugars, including mannitol, fructose and glucose, were combined with antibiotics and tested on Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

    Years of Sitting on the Job Linked to Cancer Ann Lukits 2011

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.