Saccharides are carbohydrates, molecules containing Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), and Oxygen (O). "Saccharo" means sugar in Greek. Also Greek, "mono" means one, "di" means two, and "poly" means many.
A sugar molecule is based upon a ring of carbons with H's and OH's attached. One sugar molecule alone is a monosacchararide, like glucose and fructose. Two sugar molecules bonded together covalently is a disaccharide, like lactose (milk sugar) and sucrose (table sugar). Many sugar molecules (upwards of hundreds or thousands) bonded together covalently is a polysaccharide. Examples are glycogen (animal starch) and cellulose (plant starch).
