GLYCOGEN - Definition

Pronunciation:		'glIkujun
WordNet Dictionary

	Definition:	[n] the form in which carbohydrate are stored; stored primarily in the liver and broken down into glucose when needed by the body

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	Synonyms:	animal starch

	See Also:	polyose, polysaccharide

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

	Definition:	\Gly"co*gen\, n. [Gr. ? sweet + -gen: cf. F. glycog[`e]ne.] (Physiol. Chem.) A white, amorphous, tasteless substance resembling starch, soluble in water to an opalescent fluid. It is found abundantly in the liver of most animals, and in small quantity in other organs and tissues, particularly in the embryo. It is quickly changed into sugar when boiled with dilute sulphuric or hydrochloric acid, and also by the action of amylolytic ferments.

Medical Dictionary

	Definition:	converted glucose for storage. Glycogen plays a role in controlling blood sugar levels.

Biology Dictionary

	Definition:	A polysaccharide the body uses for energy storage; it is made up of chains of glucose molecules. When the body has depleted the free glucose in the blood, the liver breaks down glycogen into more glucose.