nucleic acid

noun

nu·​cle·​ic acid nu̇-ˈklē-ik-  -ˈklā- 

nyu̇-

: any of various complex organic acids (such as DNA or RNA) that are composed of nucleotide chains

Examples of nucleic acid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Martin and his colleagues think that LUCA already possessed such an encoding system in the form of nucleic acids much like modern DNA or RNA, as well as the molecular machinery to translate it to proteins. — Philip Ball, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026

This worked much better, producing a structure that agreed with ones determined by experiments with actual nucleic acids and proteins. — ArsTechnica, 24 July 2026

The discovery of the DNA helix in the 1950s had revealed just how much information is packed into proteins and nucleic acids. — Claire L. Evans, Quanta Magazine, 5 June 2026

Shunichi Oda for Forbes Asia One listee, Hikari Okita, is researching the potential of xeno-nucleic acid (XNA), a more durable version of DNA and RNA but with similar genetic storage capabilities. — Rana Wehbe Watson, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

from their occurrence in cell nuclei

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for nucleic acid

• antacid
• placid

Kids Definition

nucleic acid

noun

nu·​cle·​ic acid n(y)u̇-ˌklā-ik-  -ˌklē- 

: any of various acids (as DNA or RNA) composed of a chain of nucleotides and found especially in cell nuclei

Medical Definition

nucleic acid

noun

nu·​cle·​ic acid n(y)u̇-ˌklē-ik-  -ˌklā- 

: any of various acids (as an RNA or a DNA) composed of nucleotide chains