oligomer

American  

[uh-lig-uh-mer] / əˈlɪg ə mər /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a polymer molecule consisting of a small number of monomers.

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oligomer British  

/ ɒˈlɪɡəmə /

noun

1. a compound of relatively low molecular weight containing up to five monomer units Compare polymer copolymer

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oligomer Scientific  

/ ə-lĭg′ə-mər /

1. A molecule that consists of a relatively small and specifiable number of monomers (usually less than five). Unlike a polymer, if one of the monomers is removed from an oligomer, its chemical properties are altered.

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Other Word Forms

• oligomeric adjective

Etymology

Origin of oligomer

First recorded in 1965–70; oligo- + -mer

Example Sentences

"We identified a distinct amyloid beta oligomer subtype that appears inside neurons and on nearby reactive astrocytes very early in the disease," Kranz said.

From Science Daily • Dec. 22, 2025

Their findings reveal a previously unknown dinucleotide binding pocket within the DnaA oligomer, where two bases of a repeating DnaA-trio sequence tightly bind, enabling the capture of a single DNA strand.

From Science Daily • Dec. 21, 2023

Such oligomers are notoriously unstable, converting to other oligomer types spontaneously.

From Science Magazine • Jul. 20, 2022

The paper provided an “important boost” to the amyloid and toxic oligomer hypotheses when they faced rising doubts, Südhof says.

From Science Magazine • Jul. 20, 2022

Similar results soon followed from the Selkoe and Glabe labs, and in time mouse models also demonstrated oligomer toxicity.

From Nature • Jul. 13, 2011