MOLECULE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does molecule mean? 

• MOLECULE (noun)
  The noun MOLECULE has 2 senses:

1. (physics and chemistry) the simplest structural unit of an element or compound

2. (nontechnical usage) a tiny piece of anything

  Familiarity information: MOLECULE used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MOLECULE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(physics and chemistry) the simplest structural unit of an element or compound

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("molecule" is a kind of...):

building block; unit (a single undivided natural thing occurring in the composition of something else)

Meronyms (parts of "molecule"):

atom ((physics and chemistry) the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element)

chemical group; group; radical ((chemistry) two or more atoms bound together as a single unit and forming part of a molecule)

chain; chemical chain ((chemistry) a series of linked atoms (generally in an organic molecule))

Domain category:

natural philosophy; physics (the science of matter and energy and their interactions)

chemical science; chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "molecule"):

dipole molecule (a molecule that is a permanent dipole)

protein molecule (any large molecule containing chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds)

coenzyme (a small molecule (not a protein but sometimes a vitamin) essential for the activity of some enzymes)

EDTA; ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (a complex molecule used medically to chelate metal ions in cases of lead or heavy metal poisoning)

macromolecule; supermolecule (any very large complex molecule; found only in plants and animals)

Derivation:

molecular (relating to or produced by or consisting of molecules)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(nontechnical usage) a tiny piece of anything

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

atom; corpuscle; molecule; mote; particle; speck

Hypernyms ("molecule" is a kind of...):

material; stuff (the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "molecule"):

grain (a relatively small granular particle of a substance)

grinding (material resulting from the process of grinding)

chylomicron (a microscopic particle of triglycerides produced in the intestines during digestion; in the bloodstream they release their fatty acids into the blood)

flyspeck (a tiny dark speck made by the excrement of a fly)

identification particle (a tiny particle of material that can be added to a product to indicate the source of manufacture)

Derivation:

molecular (relating to simple or elementary organization)

 Context examples 

While scientists have previously shown in plants and animals that movement of RNA between cells within an organism is possible, these findings identify a molecular mechanism for transmission of RNA molecules between organisms.

(Discovery of RNA transfer through royal jelly could aid development of honey bee vaccines, University of Cambridge)

An orally bioavailable small molecule, c-Met inhibitor with potential antineoplastic activity.

(MET Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor SGX523, NCI Thesaurus)

The specific parts of a protein molecule that directly participate in its interactions with a metal ion.

(Metal Binding Site, NCI Thesaurus)

A small molecule made of one carbon and three hydrogen atoms.

(Methyl group, NCI Dictionary)

Astronomers had found hints of phosphorus in the ROSINA data before, but they did not know what molecule had carried it there.

(Astronomers Reveal Interstellar Thread of One of Life’s Building Blocks, ESO)

An orally bioavailabe, small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor with potential antineoplastic activity.

(MET Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor PF-04217903, NCI Thesaurus)

The molecules included some responsible for scents such as orange and spearmint.

(Humans Can Identify More Than 1 Trillion Smells, NIH, US)

Any cellular process that results in the reduction or loss of adhesion molecules on the cell surface.

(Adhesion Factor Suppression, NCI Thesaurus)

At AJs, E-cadherin serves as an essential cell adhesion molecules (CAMs).

(Adherens Junction Assembly Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)

The interaction of lymphocytes with other cell types like vascular endothelial cells requires transmembrane adhesion molecules like VLA-4, LFA-1, CD44, CD31 and L-selectin.

(Adhesion Molecules on Lymphocyte Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)