nucleic acid
/njuːˈkliː.ɪk ˈæsɪd/
UK: /njuːˈkleɪ.ɪk ˈæsɪd/
NJUːKLIː · ꞮK ÆSꞮD (2 syllables)
English
Noun
Ad
Definition
Any acidic, chainlike biological macromolecule consisting of multiple repeat units of phosphoric acid, sugar and purine and pyrimidine bases; they are involved in the preservation, replication and expression of hereditary information in every living cell
Etymology
nucleic + acid; named for the fact that in eukaryotes, some of the important actions of such acids are especially associated with the nucleus of the cell.
Ad