Dimerising

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Joining two identical molecular units together to form a single larger compound called a dimer
2. Combining a pair of similar molecules into one bonded structure, creating a dimer in the process
3. Linking two monomer molecules chemically so that they become a dimer, a molecule made of two parts

Etymology: "Dimerising" is the present participle of "dimerise," which is formed from "dimer" and the verb-forming suffix "-ise." The "dimer" part comes from "di-," meaning two, joined to "-mer," from Greek "meros," meaning part, so a dimer is a molecule made of two identical units joined together. The chemical sense of "dimer" is a modern coinage built from classical roots, not an ancient Greek term. The suffix has a longer pedigree. It descends from Ancient Greek "-izein," which turned nouns and adjectives into verbs meaning "to make into" or "to treat in a certain way." Latin borrowed it as "-izare," and it passed into Middle French as "-iser" before reaching English in Middle English as "-isen." Chemists have long used it to name processes, so "to dimerise" means to join two molecules into a dimer, and "dimerising" describes that ongoing process.

Synonyms: dimerizing