definitions

sticky end

noun Genetics, Biotechnology.

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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Nearby words

stickweed, stickwork, sticky, sticky blood, sticky bun, sticky end, sticky fingers, sticky note, sticky rice, sticky wicket, sticky willie

Origin of sticky end

First recorded in 1970–75
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for sticky end

sticky end

noun

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