Homomerization

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process involving the assembly of identical molecular units to form a stable complex occurs in various biological systems
2. This biochemical process refers to the formation of a complex made entirely of identical subunits rather than different types
3. The phenomenon describes the generation of a stable assembly composed solely of similar molecular entities within biological contexts

Etymology: Biochemists studying protein machinery needed a name for building a complex entirely from copies of one kind of subunit. "Homomerization" fits that need: it combines the Greek "homos", meaning "same", with "meros", meaning "part", a stem that also appears in "isomer" and "meronym." The base noun is "homomer," a complex made only of identical parts. Its opposite is "heteromer," from Greek "heteros", meaning "other," for a complex whose parts differ. The ending "-ization" turns the verb "homomerize," meaning to assemble into a homomer, into a noun for the process. The "-ize" suffix descends from Greek "-izein" through Latin "-izare" and French "-iser." Because the word is a modern technical coinage built from classical parts, ancient Greek speakers would not have recognised it, and its meaning is fixed by the scientific context in which it is used.