deoxyribonucleic acid
English edit
Pronunciation edit
Audio (CA) (file)
Noun edit
deoxyribonucleic acid (uncountable)
- (biochemistry, genetics) A nucleic acid found in all living things (and some non-living things such as certain viruses) which consists of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix; encoded in its structure are genetic instructions for development, functioning, growth, and reproduction.
- Synonyms: deoxyribose nucleic acid, desoxyribose nucleic acid, double helix, (abbreviation) DNA
- Meronym: nucleotide
Alternative forms edit
Related terms edit
- nucleic acid
- ribonucleic acid (RNA)
- peptide nucleic acid (PNA)
- threose nucleic acid (TNA)
- glycol nucleic acid (GNA)
Translations edit
deoxyribonucleic acid