DNA

DNA

noun \ˌdē-ˌen-ˈā\

Definition of DNA

: 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

Illustration of DNA

Origin of DNA

deoxyribonucleic acid

First Known Use: 1944

Other Genetics Terms

chimera, hermaphrodite, plasticity

Rhymes with DNA

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