a white, crystalline disaccharide found in milk and prepared by evaporation of the whey leaving the crystallized sugar: used in infant foods, medicine, etc.
Origin:
lact(o)- + -ose
See lactose in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
A disaccharide, C12H22O11, found in milk, that may be hydrolyzed to yield glucose and galactose.
A white crystalline substance obtained from whey and used in infant foods, bakery products, confections, and pharmaceuticals as a diluent and excipient. Also called milk sugar.