Watson-Crick model

[ wot-suhn-krik ]

noun

, Biochemistry.

1. a widely accepted model for the three-dimensional structure of DNA, featuring a double-helix configuration for the molecule's two hydrogen-bonded complementary polynucleotide strands.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Watson-Crick model¹

1955–60; named after J. D. Watson and F. H. C. Crick

Example Sentences

By the early 1970s, he had helped provide important experimental confirmations of the Watson-Crick model and cast light into areas that remained mysterious.

From Washington Post

While the Watson-Crick model had achieved widespread acceptance and went virtually without challenge, Dr. Rich’s picture and the additional confirmation it provided was “very comforting,” Watson said.

From Washington Post

Implicit in the Watson-Crick model were the workings of DNA's other essential function: how it orders the production of proteins.

From Time Magazine Archive