a liquid or crystalline organic compound with a penetrating odour; 1,3-diazine. It is a weakly basic soluble heterocyclic compound and can be prepared from barbituric acid. Formula: C4H4N2
2. Also called: pyrimidine base
any of a number of similar compounds having a basic structure that is derived from pyrimidine, including cytosine, thymine, and uracil, which are constituents of nucleic acids
Word origin
C20: variant of pyridine
pyrimidine in American English
(pəˈrɪməˌdin; paɪˈrɪməˌdin; ˈpɪrəməˌdin)
noun
1.
a colorless, liquid, crystalline organic compound, C4H4N2, the fundamental form of a group of bases, some of which are constituents of nucleic acid
2.
any of several basic substances produced by the decomposition of nucleoproteins and having a pyrimidine-type molecule, as thymine, cytosine, or uracil