1 oligonucleotide | Definition of oligonucleotide

oligonucleotide

noun
ol路​i路​go路​nu路​cle路​o路​tide | \ 蓹-藢li-g蓹-藞n眉-kl膿-蓹-藢t墨d How to pronounce oligonucleotide (audio) , -藞ny眉-\

Definition of oligonucleotide

: a short nucleic-acid chain usually consisting of up to approximately 20 nucleotides

Examples of oligonucleotide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The traditional approach takes DNA nucleotides鈥攖he chemical letters A, G, C, and T鈥攁nd adds them, one by one, to a growing chain called an oligonucleotide, or oligo. Robert F. Service, Science | AAAS, "New technique could help scientists create a gene in just 1 day," 18 June 2018 An alternative treatment, drugs based on chemicals known as antisense oligonucleotides, is in clinical trials. Nicholas Wade, New York Times, "Gene Editing Offers Hope for Treating Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Studies Find," 31 Dec. 2015 Upon receipt, the sequence is run through biosafety and biosecurity checks, and ultimately constructed through the enzymatic assembly of shorter oligonucleotide chains. Jeffrey Marlow, WIRED, "Mobilizing the Planet鈥檚 Genetic Diversity with Synthetic Biology," 31 Mar. 2015

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'oligonucleotide.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of oligonucleotide

1942, in the meaning defined above

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for oligonucleotide

oligonucleotide

noun
oli路​go路​nu路​cle路​o路​tide | \ -藞n(y)眉-kl膿-蓹-藢t墨d How to pronounce oligonucleotide (audio) \

Medical Definition of oligonucleotide

: a relatively short single-stranded nucleic-acid chain (as an oligodeoxynucleotide or oligoribonucleotide) usually consisting of up to approximately 20 nucleotides

More from Merriam-Webster on oligonucleotide

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about oligonucleotide