Dimerizes

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Joins with an identical molecule to form a larger compound made of two linked units, as certain chemicals do under specific conditions
2. Combines two matching molecular units into a single paired structure, a process that often occurs in proteins and other organic compounds
3. Pairs up with a copy of itself to create a dimer, a molecule built from two identical subunits bonded together

Etymology: "Dimerizes" is the third-person singular form of "dimerize," a verb meaning to join with copies of itself into a pair, or dimer. The verb is built from "dimer," itself a chemists' coinage from Greek "meros," meaning "part," with "di-" meaning "two," so a dimer is literally a two-part unit. The suffix that turns it into a verb is the familiar "-ize," which traces back through Middle French and Late Latin to the Ancient Greek "-izein," a verb-forming ending that gave English a huge share of its "-ize" words. The pattern is a straightforward one: a noun is combined with "-ize" to mean "make into" or "treat in a certain way." Here, molecules that link up with an identical partner are said to dimerize, and a molecule that links with many partners is said to polymerize, with "poly-" meaning "many."

Antonyms: dissociate