Disaccharide vs. Oligosaccharide

Disaccharidenoun

(carbohydrate) Any sugar, such as sucrose, maltose and lactose, consisting of two monosaccharides combined together.

Disaccharidenoun

any of a variety of carbohydrates that yield two monosaccharide molecules on complete hydrolysis

Disaccharide

A disaccharide (also called a double sugar or biose) is the sugar formed when two monosaccharides are joined by glycosidic linkage. Like monosaccharides, disaccharides are simple sugars soluble in water.

Oligosaccharidenoun

(carbohydrate) A polysaccharide of low molecular weight, being a polymer of between three and eight monosaccharide units.

Oligosaccharidenoun

any of the carbohydrates that yield only a few monosaccharide molecules on complete hydrolysis

Oligosaccharide

An oligosaccharide (/ˌɑlɪgoʊˈsækəˌɹaɪd/; from the Greek ὀλίγος olígos, , and σάκχαρ sácchar, ) is a saccharide polymer containing a small number (typically three to ten) of monosaccharides (simple sugars). Oligosaccharides can have many functions including cell recognition and cell binding.