pyrimidine

[ pahy-rim-i-deen, pi-, pir-uh-mi-deen, -din ]

/ paɪˈrɪm ɪˌdin, pɪ-, ˈpɪr ə mɪˌdin, -dɪn /

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noun Biochemistry.

a heterocyclic compound, C4H4N2, that is the basis of several important biochemical substances.

one of several pyrimidine derivatives, especially the bases cytosine, thymine, and uracil, which are fundamental constituents of nucleic acids.

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Origin of pyrimidine

1880–85; blend of pyridine and imide

Words nearby pyrimidine

pyridoxal, pyridoxamine, pyridoxine, pyriform, pyrimethamine, pyrimidine, pyrite, pyrites, pyritohedron, pyro, pyrobitumen

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

British Dictionary definitions for pyrimidine

pyrimidine

/ (paɪˈrɪmɪˌdiːn) /

noun

a liquid or crystalline organic compound with a penetrating odour; 1,3-diazine. It is a weakly basic soluble heterocyclic compound and can be prepared from barbituric acid. Formula: C 4 H 4 N 2

Also called: pyrimidine base any of a number of similar compounds having a basic structure that is derived from pyrimidine, including cytosine, thymine, and uracil, which are constituents of nucleic acids

Word Origin for pyrimidine

C20: variant of pyridine

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

Scientific definitions for pyrimidine

pyrimidine

[ pī-rĭm′ĭ-dēn′ ]

Any of a group of organic compounds having a single six-member ring in which the first and third atoms are nitrogen and the rest are carbon. Pyrimidines include the bases cytosine, thymine, and uracil, which are components of DNA and RNA. Pyrimidine rings are also components of several larger compounds, such as thiamine and some synthetic barbiturates.