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re·com·bi·nase

(rē-kŏmbə-nās′, -nāz′)

An enzyme that catalyzes the exchange of short pieces of DNA between two long DNA strands, particularly the exchange of homologous regions between the paired maternal and paternal chromosomes.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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