polymerase
UK[ˈpɒlɪməreɪz]US[pəˈlɪməˌreɪs]
n
an enzyme that catalyzes the formation of polymers of nucleic acids (like dna or rna).
Morpheme Breakdown
poly
mer
ase
poly
many
mer
unit
ase
enzyme
Etymology
the word polymerase is a modern scientific compound built from classical greek roots through the medium of international scientific vocabulary. the first element, 'poly-', meaning 'many', combines with '-mer', meaning 'part', to form 'polymer', a substance composed of many repeating structural units. the suffix '-ase', a standard biochemical term for enzymes, is then appended to specify its function. thus, polymerase literally translates to "an enzyme that acts on polymers," precisely describing its role in assembling long chains of nucleotides from simpler monomeric units, a process fundamental to genetic replication and transcription.
Analysis
Structure: poly (many) + mer (unit) + ase (enzyme)
poly: from greek 'polys', meaning 'many, much'. functions as a combining form indicating multiplicity.
mer: from greek 'meros', meaning 'part, share'. functions as a combining form indicating a unit or segment.
ase: a suffix used in biochemistry to denote an enzyme, derived from 'diastase'.
Examples
dna polymerase is essential for replicating the genetic material during cell division.
researchers are studying the fidelity of the viral rna polymerase.
a heat-stable polymerase is a key component in the polymerase chain reaction (pcr) technique.