Skip to main content
ribonucleic acid

ribonucleic acid

5.1
A molecule in cells that carries messages from genes to make proteins
  • noun
  • /ˌraɪboʊnjuˈkleɪɪk ˈæsɪd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ácido ribonucleico
  • RNA (ribonucleic acid) plays a crucial role in transmitting genetic information within cells.
  • ribonucleic acid (RNA)
  • molecule of ribonucleic acid

Examples

  • And then RNA, which is the polymer of of nucleotides that have ribose as a sugar is ribonucleic acid or RNA as you've you've known it.

  • However, the recent adoption and dissemination of DNA- and ribonucleic acid (RNA)-based molecular tools has greatly reduced the barriers to sampling and identifying fungi from vegetative material.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Scientists study RNA (ribonucleic acid) because it is essential for protein synthesis in all living organisms.

  • The ribonucleic acid (RNA) found in viruses can mutate quickly, affecting the viruses' ability to infect host cells.

Synonyms

RNA
vsribonucleic acid
  • Specialized
29 3.5

A molecule in cells that carries instructions from DNA to make proteins and in some viruses is the genetic material

is a broader nucleic acid covering information transmission and various cellular processes

Surface Forms

Morphology

ribonucleic + acid

The compound is compositionally formed: 'ribonucleic' specifies the type and 'acid' names the chemical class, so knowing 'ribonucleic' (related to RNA/genetics) plus 'acid' allows a learner to infer it is the acid associated with ribonucleic material. The pattern is a regular modifier+noun chemical naming convention and has close cognates in many languages, making the meaning readily derivable for learners who know the constituents.

Etymology

Ribonucleic acid gets its name from its parts: ribo from a small sugar called 'ribose', nucleic because scientists first found it near the cell 'nucleus', the cell's control center, and acid because it acts like an 'acid'. So the name points to the molecule that carries 'genetic instructions' in cells.