dimer

[ dahy-mer ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. a molecule composed of two identical, simpler molecules.
2. a polymer derived from two identical monomers.

dimer

/ ˈdaɪmə /

noun

1. chem
   1. a molecule composed of two identical simpler molecules (monomers)
   2. a compound consisting of dimers

dimer

/ dī′mər /

1. Any of various chemical compounds made of two smaller identical or similar molecules (called monomers) that are linked together. Dimers are linked by hydrogen bonds, coordinate bonds, or covalent bonds. Sucrose is a dimer composed of the monomers glucose and fructose.

Other Words From

• di·mer·ic [dahy-, mer, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dimer¹

First recorded in 1905–10; di- ¹ + -mer

Word History and Origins

Origin of dimer¹

C20: from di- ¹+ -mer

Example Sentences

Many immune receptors function in pairs called dimers, but to date, PD-1 has been thought to function alone, not in the dimer form.

From Science Daily

Further analysis using X-ray crystallography and thermodynamic simulations revealed that tetramer formation is driven by hydrophobic interactions occurring between two 3D-DS dimers.

From Science Daily

After one particularly bad morning, an urgent care visit revealed that she had high blood levels of “D dimer,” a protein fragment that indicates the presence of clots.

From New York Times

This suggested that individual toroids could act as secondary sites from which another ring could grow, thereby forming the catenated dimers.

From Nature

I decided to use an icosahedral sphere to create a regular distribution of the M protein dimers to hint at this hypothesis.

From Scientific American