dimer

American  

[dahy-mer] / ˈdaɪ mər /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a molecule composed of two identical, simpler molecules.

2. a polymer derived from two identical monomers.

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dimer British  

/ ˈdaɪmə /

noun

1. chem

   1. a molecule composed of two identical simpler molecules (monomers)

   2. a compound consisting of dimers

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dimer Scientific  

/ dī′mər /

1. Any of various chemical compounds made of two smaller identical or similar molecules (called monomers) that are linked together. Dimers are linked by hydrogen bonds, coordinate bonds, or covalent bonds. Sucrose is a dimer composed of the monomers glucose and fructose.

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Other Word Forms

• dimeric
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of dimer

First recorded in 1905–10; di- ¹ + -mer

Example Sentences

Both versions of the verticillin molecule are built from two identical halves that must be connected into a structure called a dimer.

From Science Daily • Dec. 22, 2025

The evicted histones are preserved as a hexamer, with one H2A-H2B dimer missing.

From Science Daily • Mar. 7, 2024

Peaper, D. R., Wearsch, P. A. & Cresswell, P. Tapasin and ERp57 form a stable disulfide-linked dimer within the MHC class I peptide-loading complex.

From Nature • Nov. 5, 2017

IgA exists in two forms, a four-chain monomer in the blood and an eight-chain structure, or dimer, in exocrine gland secretions of the mucous membranes, including mucus, saliva, and tears.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

In a thymine dimer, two thymine nucleotides adjacent to each other on one strand are covalently bonded to each other rather than their complementary bases.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013