Molecular

/məˈlɛkjʊlə/

adjectivemedium🔥Very CommonScience
1 meaning3 questions

Definitions

1

Relating to or consisting of molecules; of or pertaining to molecules.

/məˈlɛkjʊlə/

adjectiveneutralmedium
Science

Relating to or consisting of molecules.

The molecular structure of water allows it to be a liquid at room temperature.

💡 Simply: Imagine a tiny building block. Molecular means things that are made of these tiny blocks, like water or the air you breathe!

👶 For kids: About the really, really, REALLY tiny parts that things are made of, like the tiny building blocks.

More Examples

2

Scientists are studying the molecular composition of the new drug.

3

Molecular physics is a branch of physics that studies the physical properties of molecules.

How It's Used

Chemistry

"Molecular biology studies the structure and function of macromolecules."

Biology

"The molecular structure of DNA is a double helix."

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

From French *moléculaire*, from *molécule* ("molecule"), from Late Latin *molecula* ("small mass"), diminutive of Latin *moles* ("mass, barrier").

The term 'molecular' gained prominence in scientific discourse during the 19th and 20th centuries with the rise of chemistry and biology.

Memory tip

Think of 'molecule' as the core unit. 'Molecular' describes something *about* those core units.

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"small mass"

molecular structuremolecular biologymolecular weightmolecular formulamolecular level

Common misspellings

moleculermoleclarmolekular

Usage

30%Spoken
70%Written