Thymine
/ˈθaɪ.miːn/noun
A pyrimidine base found in DNA, pairing with adenine.
Did you know?Thymine was named from thymus, the Greek word for thyme, because the related compound thymol was first isolated from thyme oil, linking a core genetic base to an old aromatic plant name.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
θύμος (thýmos)
“Thyme, the aromatic herb”
Late Latin
Latin
thymum
“Thyme”
19th Century
French
thymine
“Name coined for a nitrogenous base related to thymol”
1890s
English
thymine
“Specific pyrimidine base identified in nucleic acids”
Modern English
English
thymine
“One of the four main bases in DNA”
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