# Terpenoid

> A terpenoid is a terpene-derived compound that carries extra functional groups, usually oxygen (alcohols, oxides, ketones), such as linalool, bisabolol or caryophyllene oxide.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/terpenoid.html
- Also written: terpenoids, isoprenoid, isoprenoids, oxygenated terpene
- Glossary category: Cannabinoids and terpenes · Evidence: Established
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

A terpenoid, also called an isoprenoid, is a compound built from isoprene units like a [terpene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/terpene.md) but modified, typically with oxygen. Linalool and geraniol (alcohols), eucalyptol and [caryophyllene oxide](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/caryophyllene-oxide.md) (ethers/oxides) and [bisabolol](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/bisabolol.md) are all terpenoids. In chemistry "terpene" is the plain hydrocarbon and "terpenoid" the modified form; in cannabis talk the two words are used interchangeably.

## In practice

Lab [terpene panels](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/terpene-test.md) list both kinds together. Oxygenated terpenoids are generally less volatile than the hydrocarbon [monoterpenes](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/monoterpene.md), so they tend to survive drying and storage better; some, like caryophyllene oxide, actually increase as their parent compound oxidises. [Cannabinoids](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cannabinoid.md) are, strictly, meroterpenoids: part terpene, part polyketide. That is the sense in which the cannabinoid and terpene pathways are related.

## Don't confuse with

- **Terpene**: the hydrocarbon parent class.
- **Flavonoid**: a separate class of phenolic compounds.
- **Terpene profile**: the measured mix in a sample, not a chemical class.

## Related terms

[Terpene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/terpene.md), [Monoterpene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/monoterpene.md), [Sesquiterpene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/sesquiterpene.md), [Linalool](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/linalool.md), [Caryophyllene oxide](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/caryophyllene-oxide.md)

## Sources

1. Booth JK, Bohlmann J. 2019. Terpenes in Cannabis sativa: from plant genome to humans. Plant Science 284:67-72.