Meanings
plural restriction enzymes
- biologyAn endonuclease that catalyzes double-strand cleavage of DNA containing a specific sequence.
We now know of 400 different kinds of restriction enzymes, each of which recognises a different sequence of DNA letters and cuts there, like a pair of scissors that cuts the paper only where it finds the word ‘restriction’.
1999, Matt Ridley, Genome, Harper Perennial, published 2004, page 244Synonyms: schizomer
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn endonuclease that catalyzes double-strand cleavage of DNA containing a specific sequence.
More synonyms by meaning
nounany of the enzymes that cut nucleic acid at specific restriction sites and produce restriction fragments; obtained from bacteria (where they cripple viral invaders); used in recombinant DNA technology
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Cite this entry
restriction enzyme. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/restriction%20enzyme
“restriction enzyme.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/restriction%20enzyme. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “restriction enzyme,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/restriction%20enzyme.
Source: restriction enzyme on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.