pyrimidine

P3Y4R1I1M3I1D2I1N1E1
/paɪˈɹɪ.mɪˌdiːn//pɪˈɹɪ.mɪˌdiːn/

noun

A diazine in which the two nitrogen atoms are in the meta- positions; it is the basis of three of the bases found in DNA and RNA: thymine, uracil and cytosine

OriginGerman Pyrimidin →
UncommonScrabble 18
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounpyrimidine (plural pyrimidines)

plural pyrimidines

  1. chemistryA diazine in which the two nitrogen atoms are in the meta- positions; it is the basis of three of the bases found in DNA and RNA: thymine, uracil and cytosine

Origin

  1. GermanPyrimidin
  2. Englishpyrimidine

First attested in 1885. From German Pyrimidin, from German Pyridin (“pyridine”), with the insertion of -mi- from amidine.

More words from German

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Cantonese 嘧啶
  • 嘧啶 (mat⁶ ding⁶)diazine in which the two nitrogen atoms are in the meta-positions
Chinese Mandarin 嘧啶
  • 嘧啶 (mìdìng)diazine in which the two nitrogen atoms are in the meta-positions
Finnish pyrimidiini
  • pyrimidiinidiazine in which the two nitrogen atoms are in the meta-positions
French pyrimidine
  • pyrimidinediazine in which the two nitrogen atoms are in the meta-positions
Italian pirimidina
  • pirimidinadiazine in which the two nitrogen atoms are in the meta-positions
Japanese ピリミジン
  • ピリミジン (pirimijin)diazine in which the two nitrogen atoms are in the meta-positions
Korean 피리미딘
  • 피리미딘 (pirimidin)diazine in which the two nitrogen atoms are in the meta-positions
Spanish pirimidina
  • pirimidinadiazine in which the two nitrogen atoms are in the meta-positions
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

Source: pyrimidine on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.