'nucleic acid' definitions:
Definition of 'nucleic acid'
(from WordNet)
noun
(biochemistry) any of various macromolecules composed of nucleotide chains that are vital constituents of all living cells
Definition of 'nucleic acid'
From: GCIDE
- nucleic acid \nu*cle"ic ac"id\ (n[=oo]*kl[=a]"[i^]k [a^]s"[i^]d or n[=oo]*kl[=e]"[i^]k), n. (Chem., Biochem., Genetics) A natural or synthetic polymer consisting of chains of ribonucleotide or deoxyribonucleotide units.
- Note: The nucleic acids are vital constituents of all living cells, carrying the genetic information propagated between generations, and, while a cell is alive, having a continued function in coding for the amino acid sequence of proteins being synthesized by the cell. The two natural types of nucleic adic are {ribonucleic acid} (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). [WordNet 1.5 +PJC]