n.
Pronunciation: p ī - ' ri-m ə - ˌ d ē n, p ə -
Function: noun
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary, alteration of pyridine
Date: 1885
1 : a feeble organic base C 4 H 4 N 2 of penetrating odor
2 : a derivative of pyrimidine especially : a base (as cytosine, thymine, or uracil) that is a constituent of DNA or RNA