ribose

[ rahy-bohs ]

/ ˈraɪ boʊs /

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noun Biochemistry.

a white, crystalline, water-soluble, slightly sweet solid, C5H10O5, a pentose sugar obtained by the hydrolysis of RNA.

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Origin of ribose

1890–95; <German Ribose, earlier Ribonsäure, equivalent to Ribon (from Arabinosearabinose, by arbitrary rearrangement and shortening) + Säure acid

Words nearby ribose

ribonuclease, ribonucleic acid, ribonucleoprotein, ribonucleoside, ribonucleotide, ribose, riboso, ribosomal RNA, ribosome, ribozo, ribozyme

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ribose in a sentence

RNA’s spine is a sugar called ribose, while DNA’s is deoxyribose.
Here’s why COVID-19 vaccines like Pfizer’s need to be kept so cold|Tina Hesman Saey|November 20, 2020|Science News

British Dictionary definitions for ribose

ribose

/ (ˈraɪbəʊz, -bəʊs) /

noun

biochem a pentose sugar that is an isomeric form of arabinose and that occurs in RNA and riboflavin. Formula: CH 2 OH(CHOH) 3 CHO

Word Origin for ribose

C20: changed from arabinose

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 ribose

ribose

[ rī′bōs′ ]

A pentose sugar with a furanose structure that occurs as a component of riboflavin and RNA. Chemical formula: C5H10O5.