Z-RNA

noun

A configuration of RNA, left-hand twisting double helix, that takes up a zigzagging form due to the natural right-hand twisting tendency of double-stranded RNA.

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Meanings

nounZ-RNA (countable and uncountable, plural Z-RNAs)

plural Z-RNAs

  1. uncountableA configuration of RNA, left-hand twisting double helix, that takes up a zigzagging form due to the natural right-hand twisting tendency of double-stranded RNA.
  2. countableAn RNA helix in such a configuration.

Origin

From Z + RNA. Blend of Z-DNA + RNA. From zigzagging of the zigzag configuration RNA, an RNA analogue of the previously discovered Z-DNA.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: Z-RNA on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.