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macromolecule

American  
[mak-ruh-mol-uh-kyool] / ˌmæk rəˈmɒl əˌkyul /

noun

Chemistry.

  1. a very large molecule, as a colloidal particle, protein, or especially a polymer, composed of hundreds or thousands of atoms.

macromolecule British  
/ ˌmækrəʊˈmɒlɪˌkjuːl, ˌmækrəʊməˈlɛkjʊlə /

noun

  1. any very large molecule, such as a protein or synthetic polymer

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
macromolecule Scientific  
/ măk′rō-mŏl′ĭ-kyo̅o̅l′ /

  1. A large molecule, such as a protein, consisting of many smaller molecules linked together.

Other Word Forms

  • macromolecular adjective

Etymology

Origin of macromolecule

First recorded in 1885–90; macro- + molecule

Vocabulary lists containing macromolecule

Biochemistry

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

An antigen is a foreign or “non-self” macromolecule that reacts with cells of the immune system.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

A ribosome is a complex macromolecule composed of structural and catalytic rRNAs, and many distinct polypeptides.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

A quartz crystal is a macromolecule of silicon dioxide.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

One of her team's pictures, known as Photo 51, provided the essential insights for Crick and Watson to build the first three-dimensional model of the two-stranded macromolecule.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2019

Mostly these errors would have been such that the new macromolecule could not reproduce itself and eventually would have been destroyed.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.