glu·cose (glo?o?k?s?)n.1. A monosaccharide sugar, C6H12O6, that is used by living things to obtain energy through the process of aerobic respiration within cells. It is the principal circulating sugar in the blood of humans and other mammals.2. A colorless to yellowish syrupy mixture of dextrose, maltose, and dextrins containing about 20 percent water, used in confectionery, alcoholic fermentation, tanning, and treating tobacco. Also called starch syrup.[French, from Greek glukus, sweet.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.glucose (??lu?k??z; -k??s) n1. (Elements & Compounds) a white crystalline monosaccharide sugar that has several optically active forms, the most abundant being dextrose: a major energy source in metabolism. Formula: C6H12O62. (Elements & Compounds) a yellowish syrup (or, after desiccation, a solid) containing dextrose, maltose, and dextrin, obtained by incomplete hydrolysis of starch: used in confectionery, fermentation, etc[C19: from French, from Greek gleukos sweet wine; related to Greek glukus sweet] glucosic adjCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014glu?cose (?glu ko?s) n. 1. a simple sugar, C6H12O6, that is a product of photosynthesis and is the principal source of energy for all living organisms: concentrated in fruits and honey or readily obtainable from starch, other carbohydrates, or glycogen. 2. a syrup containing dextrose, maltose, and dextrine, obtained by the incomplete hydrolysis of starch. [1830?40;