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DNA.

Initialism of deoxyribonucleic acid (“a nucleic acid found in all living things (and some non-living things such as certain viruses) which consists of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix; encoded in its structure are genetic instructions for development, functioning, growth, and reproduction”).

3 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˌdiːɛnˈeɪ/Received-Pronunciation/ˌdiˌɛnˈeɪ/General-American
  1. Initialism of deoxyribonucleic acid (“a nucleic acid found in all living things (and some non-living things such as certain viruses) which consists of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix; encoded in its structure are genetic instructions for development, functioning, growth, and reproduction”).

    abbreviation · alt-of · countable · initialism · uncountable
  2. The part of a living thing that carries genetic information.

    broadly · countable · informal · uncountable
  3. The fundamental nature or values of a person, or an organization or other thing, especially when considered as innate or immutable.

    countable · figuratively · uncountable
Where this word comes from

The noun is an initialism of deoxyribonucleic acid. The verb is derived from the noun.

verb/ˌdiːɛnˈeɪ/Received-Pronunciation/ˌdiˌɛnˈeɪ/General-American
  1. To examine a sample of (someone's) deoxyribonucleic acid.

    transitive
Where this word comes from

The noun is an initialism of deoxyribonucleic acid. The verb is derived from the noun.

name/ˌdiːɛnˈeɪ/Received-Pronunciation/ˌdiˌɛnˈeɪ/General-American
  1. Defense Nuclear Agency, an agency of the United States Department of Defense which existed from 1971 to 1996 and has since been reorganized as the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

    US · historical
Where this word comes from

An initialism of the various terms listed below. The verb sense is derived from noun etymology 2, phrase sense 7.

phrase/ˌdiːɛnˈeɪ/Received-Pronunciation/ˌdiˌɛnˈeɪ/General-American
  1. Did not answer.

  2. Did not arrive (used when someone fails to keep an appointment).

  3. Did not attend.

  4. Do not assume.

  5. Does not apply.

  6. Drugs 'n' alcohol.

  7. Do not arm (that is, do not provide with a firearm).

    US
Where this word comes from

An initialism of the various terms listed below. The verb sense is derived from noun etymology 2, phrase sense 7.

verb/ˌdiːɛnˈeɪ/Received-Pronunciation/ˌdiˌɛnˈeɪ/General-American
  1. To place (someone) under a DNA (do not arm) order because of mental illness.

    US
Where this word comes from

An initialism of the various terms listed below. The verb sense is derived from noun etymology 2, phrase sense 7.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.