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si·tos·ter·ol

(sī-tŏstə-rôl′, -rōl′, sĭ-)

Any of a group of sterols that occur in high concentrations in certain plants and are used in the synthesis of steroid hormones.

[Greek sītos, food, grain + STEROL.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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