B-DNA

noun

The default configuration of DNA in cells, right-hand twisting double helix with a significant size difference between major groove and minor groove, and approximately 10 base pairs per twist.

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Meanings

nounB-DNA (countable and uncountable, plural B-DNAs)

plural B-DNAs

  1. uncountableThe default configuration of DNA in cells, right-hand twisting double helix with a significant size difference between major groove and minor groove, and approximately 10 base pairs per twist.
  2. countableA DNA helix in such a configuration.

Origin

From B + DNA. Coined by Rosalind Franklin, for the second of two forms discovered during her X-ray crystallography experiments on DNA.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

B-DNA. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/B-DNA

MLA

“B-DNA.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/B-DNA. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “B-DNA,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/B-DNA.

Source: B-DNA on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.