deoxyribose
noun
de·oxy·ri·bose
(ˌ)dē-ˌäk-si-ˈrī-ˌbōs 
-ˌbōz
: a pentose sugar C5H10O4 that is a structural element of DNA
Examples of deoxyribose in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Its sides are chains of a sugar called deoxyribose (the D in DNA).
—
Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 19 Apr. 2012
To create XNAs, Holliger and his team replaced the deoxyribose with alternative synthetic chemical ring structures such as arabinose or cyclohexene.
—Kat McGowan, Discover Magazine, 16 Jan. 2013
And their discovery of much more ribose than of any deoxyribose (the D in DNA) points to the theory that RNA is in fact the ancestor of DNA.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 19 Nov. 2019
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Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 19 Apr. 2012
To create XNAs, Holliger and his team replaced the deoxyribose with alternative synthetic chemical ring structures such as arabinose or cyclohexene.
—Kat McGowan, Discover Magazine, 16 Jan. 2013
And their discovery of much more ribose than of any deoxyribose (the D in DNA) points to the theory that RNA is in fact the ancestor of DNA.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 19 Nov. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Deoxyribose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deoxyribose. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deoxyribose
noun
de·oxy·ri·bose
dē-ˌäk-sē-ˈrī-ˌbōs
: a sugar that has five carbon atoms and four oxygen atoms in each molecule and is part of DNA compare ribose
Medical Definition
deoxyribose
noun
de·oxy·ri·bose
(ˌ)dē-ˌäk-si-ˈrī-ˌbōs, -ˌbōz
variants
also desoxyribose
: a pentose sugar C5H10O4 that is a structural element of DNA
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