Lactulose

//ˈlak.tjʊ.ləʊz// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A synthetic disaccharide C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁ consisting of galactose and fructose units, used as a laxative for chronic constipation and as an acidifier to reduce blood ammonia levels causing neurological symptoms in advanced liver disease. It is used in solution for oral or rectal administration. countable, uncountable

Etymology

From lact- + (cell)ulose.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.