Definitions

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

  • noun A white crystalline substance, C27H45OH, found in animal tissues and various foods, that is normally synthesized by the liver and is important as a constituent of cell membranes and a precursor to steroid hormones. Cholesterol is transported through the bloodstream as different types of lipoproteins, two of which (HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol) are routinely measured in blood tests.
  • noun HDL cholesterol.
  • noun LDL cholesterol.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Same as cholesterin. The termination -ol is used to indicate that chemically the substance belongs to the class of alcohols.

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

  • noun biochemistry A sterol lipid synthesized by the liver and transported in the bloodstream to the membranes of all animal cells; it plays a central role in many biochemical processes and, as a lipoprotein that coats the walls of blood vessels, is associated with cardiovascular disease.

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

  • noun an animal sterol that is normally synthesized by the liver; the most abundant steroid in animal tissues

Etymologies

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

[cholester(in), former name for cholesterol (chole– + Greek stereos, solid; see ster- in Indo-European roots + –in) + –ol (so called because it was first found in gallstones).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

chole- +‎ sterol

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