thymine

American  

[thahy-meen, -min] / ˈθaɪ min, -mɪn /

noun

Biochemistry.

1. a pyrimidine base, C 5 H 6 N 2 O 2 , that is one of the principal components of DNA, in which it is paired with adenine. T

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thymine British  

/ ˈθaɪmiːn /

noun

1. a white crystalline pyrimidine base found in DNA. Formula: C 5 H 6 N 2 O 2

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thymine Scientific  

/ thī′mēn′ /

1. A pyrimidine base that is a component of DNA. It forms a base pair with adenine. Chemical formula: C ₅ H ₆ N ₂ O ₂ .

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Etymology

Origin of thymine

First recorded in 1890–95; thym(ic) ² + -ine ²

Compare meaning

How does thymine compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• uracil vs. thymine
• thymidine vs. thymine

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

thymine

Importantly they also discovered all five nitrogenous bases — adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, and uracil — that are necessary to build DNA and RNA.

From Salon ● Jan. 30, 2025

These include 14 of the 20 amino acids that life on Earth uses to build proteins and all four of the ring-shaped molecules that make up DNA - adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine.

From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2025

In addition, they discovered that chemical modifications to thymine can significantly alter the decoherence rate, with hydrogen-bond interactions near the thymine ring leading to more rapid decoherence.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 19, 2023

For example, exposure to water can cause a chemical reaction called deamination that changes the nucleotide cytosine such that it appears to be the nucleotide thymine upon analysis.

From Scientific American ● Aug. 25, 2023

Several days later, when they bumped into each other in the Cavendish tea queue, Francis learned that a semirigorous argument hinted that adenine and thymine should stick to each other by their flat surfaces.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson