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sticky end

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noun Genetics, Biotechnology.
  1. a single-stranded end of DNA or RNA having a nucleotide base sequence complementary to that of another strand, enabling the two strands to be connected by base pairing: produced in the laboratory with the use of restriction enzymes for genetic engineering purposes.
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Origin of sticky end

First recorded in 1970–75
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for sticky end

sticky end

noun
  1. informal an unpleasant finish or death (esp in the phrase come to or meet a sticky end)
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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