Nucleins

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Complex protein compounds found in the nuclei of cells, which later became known as nucleic acids and proteins that carry genetic material
2. Substances occurring in the cell nucleus that combine protein with nucleic acid and play a role in heredity and cell reproduction
3. The phosphorus-rich protein groups isolated from cell nuclei, forerunners of the modern understanding of DNA and RNA in living tissue

Etymology: "Nucleins" is the plural of "nuclein", a term for a class of substances found in the nuclei of cells. The singular was formed in German from "Nucleus" (Latin for "kernel" or "nut") with the suffix "-in", the standard German ending used to name chemical substances, much as "-in" appears in names like "protein" or "insulin" in English. The word is a plain technical coinage rather than an ancient one. Its meaning comes straight from its parts: the substances were first identified in cell nuclei, and the name records that origin. Because it was built from Latin elements in the modern era, it has no history in classical texts.