a molecular chain of nucleotides chemically bonded by a series of ester linkages between the phosphoryl group of one nucleotide and the hydroxyl group of the sugar in the adjacent nucleotide. Nucleic acids consist of long chains of polynucleotides
polynucleotide in American English
(ˌpɑliˈnuːkliəˌtaid, -ˈnjuː-)
noun
Biochemistry
a sequence of nucleotides, as in DNA or RNA, bound into a chain
Word origin
[1910–15; poly- + nucleotide]This word is first recorded in the period 1910–15. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: blackout, coverage, homeroom, insulin, spotlightpoly- is a combining form with the meanings “much, many” and, in chemistry, “polymeric,”used in the formation of compound words. Other words that use the affix poly- include: polyandrous, polyculture, polyethylene