dimer

American  

[dahy-mer] / ˈdaɪ mər /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a molecule composed of two identical, simpler molecules.

2. a polymer derived from two identical monomers.

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dimer British  

/ ˈdaɪmə /

noun

1. chem

   1. a molecule composed of two identical simpler molecules (monomers)

   2. a compound consisting of dimers

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dimer Scientific  

/ 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.

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Other Word Forms

• dimeric adjective

Etymology

Origin of dimer

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

Example Sentences

When two nearby ions attempt to share an electron across a bond, they may form what scientists call an atomic dimer.

From Science Daily • Mar. 16, 2026

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 • Mar. 8, 2024

RAS, when bound to GTP, forms a dimer after binding to the ligand, and causes uncontrolled division, but it remains inactive when the ligand is absent.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

As is often the case with molecules that contain an unpaired electron, two molecules combine to form a dimer by pairing their unpaired electrons to form a bond.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

Peaper, D. R., Wearsch, P. A. & Cresswell, P. Tapasin and ERp57 form a stable disulfide-linked dimer within the MHC class I peptide-loading complex.

From Nature • Nov. 5, 2017