Oligos

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term referring to a small number of items or components, often used in scientific contexts, especially in relation to molecular biology or chemistry
2. It can also describe a few specific sequences, such as short oligonucleotides in genetic research
3. In some contexts, it highlights a limited quantity or sparsity of elements, applicable to various fields of study and analysis

Etymology: "Oligos" is the plural of "oligo," a clipping of "oligonucleotide," a term built from Greek roots. The first part, "oligo-," comes from Greek "oligos," meaning "few" or "little," which also shows up in words like "oligarchy" (rule by a few). The second part, "nucleotide," names the basic building block of DNA and RNA, and combines "nucleus" with the chemical suffix "-ide." An oligonucleotide is therefore a chain of only a handful of these building blocks, in contrast to the enormous chains that make up a full gene or chromosome. Because the full word is long and awkward to say repeatedly in laboratories, scientists shortened it to "oligo," and that shorter form is now the everyday term. Its plural, "oligos," refers to several such short strands, often synthetic ones made to order for experiments such as polymerase chain reaction or gene silencing.

Synonyms: oligonucleotides, short DNA strands, short RNA strands