Pronunciation: ˌ d ē - ˌ en- ' ā
Function: noun
Etymology: d eoxyribo noun ucleic a cid
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: A molecular model: 1 hydrogen, 2 oxygen, 3 carbon in the helical phosphate ester chains, 4 carbon and nitrogen in the cross-linked purine and pyrimidine bases, 5 phosphorus; B double helix