molecular clock

noun

A technique that uses the mutation rate of biomolecules to deduce the time in prehistory when two or more life forms diverged.

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Meanings

nounmolecular clock (plural molecular clocks)

plural molecular clocks

  1. biologyA technique that uses the mutation rate of biomolecules to deduce the time in prehistory when two or more life forms diverged.
Cite this entry
APA

molecular clock. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/molecular%20clock

MLA

“molecular clock.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/molecular%20clock. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “molecular clock,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/molecular%20clock.

Source: molecular clock on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.