Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cellulose

/ˈsɛljəloʊs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.07 in modern English

Syllables
cel-lu-lose
IPA
/ˈsɛljəloʊs/
11
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A complex carbohydrate that forms the main constituent of the cell wall in most plants and is important in the manufacture of numerous products, such as paper, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and explosives.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A polysaccharide containing many glucose units in parallel chains.

Countable; Uncountable

adj

Consisting of, or containing, cells.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱel-der. Latin cella Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -ula Latin cellulabor. French cellule Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h₃édosder.? Proto-Italic *-ŏ̄dsos? Old Latin -ōssus Latin -ōsuslbor. French -ose French cellulosebor. English cellulose Borrowed from French cellulose.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈsɛljəloʊs/
  • British English: /ˈsɛljʊləʊz/

Usage

Inflected Forms

celluloses (plural)

Derived Forms

carboxymethylcellulose cellophane cellucotton cellulase celluloselike cellulosic ethylcellulose hemicellulose holocellulose hydrocellulose hydroxyethylcellulose hydroxypropylmethylcellulose

Phrases

alkali cellulose benzyl cellulose carboxymethyl cellulose cellulose acetate cellulose nitrate cellulose xanthate ethyl cellulose ethyl methyl cellulose

Frequently Paired Words

cellophane celluloid pentosan

Synonyms

E460 when used as an emulsifier

Rhymes With

nitrocellulose

Questions

How do you pronounce cellulose?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsɛljəloʊs/.
What does cellulose mean?
A complex carbohydrate that forms the main constituent of the cell wall in most plants and is important in the manufacture of numerous products, such as paper, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and explosives.
Where does cellulose come from?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱel-der. Latin cella Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -ula Latin cellulabor. French cellule Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h₃édosder.? Proto-Italic *-ŏ̄dsos? Old Latin -ōssus Latin -ōsuslbor. French -ose French cellulosebor. English cellulose Borrowed from French cellulose.

How to pronounce cellulose

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “cellulose”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈsɛljəloʊs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “cellulose”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “cellulose” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.