What is "furanose"

n. (context chemistry English) any cyclic hemiacetal form of a monosaccharide having a five-membered ring (the tetrahydrofuran skeleton)

A furanose is a collective term for carbohydrates that have a chemical structure that includes a five-membered ring system consisting of four carbon atoms and one oxygen atom. The name derives from its similarity to the oxygen heterocycle furan, but the furanose ring does not have double bonds.