Main Entry: DNA

Pronunciation: \ˌdē-ˌen-ˈā\

Function: noun

Etymology: deoxyribonucleic acid

Date: 1944

: any of various nucleic acids that are usually the molecular basis of heredity, are constructed of a double helix held together by hydrogen bonds between purine and pyrimidine bases which project inward from two chains containing alternate links of deoxyribose and phosphate, and that in eukaryotes are localized chiefly in cell nuclei — compare recombinant dna

[DNA illustration]