- The noun PCR is a acronym for the polymerase chain reaction technique used to amplify sequences of DNA. Polymerase is an enzyme that replicates DNA. The chain reaction refers to the fact that the DNA is amplified through a chain of mechanisms that eventually lead to thousands fold increase of the initial DNA strand. Together, PCR is an enzyme-mediated technique for DNA replication and amplification. The acronym was most likely created to simplify the communication of this highly prevalent scientific procedure for DNA amplification. The method is so often used that recently, it has undergone zero derivation to become a verb. Instead of amplifying DNA via PCR (noun), it has become more common to simply PCR (verb) DNA for amplification. Once again, the possible motivation for the creation of the word is to simply the communication of a very common laboratory procedure. To PCR is most often used in genetic laboratories where the technique is widely used.
PCR
verb; acronym; zero derivation
to amplify a sequence of DNA via the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique
Etymology : The verb PCR is zero derived from the noun PCR. PCR is an acronym for polymerase chain reaction. Polymerase is derived from polymer + ase (which denotes an enzyme). Polymer comes from Greek polymeres, which is derived from poly 'many' + meros 'part.' Polymerase is then an enzyme that makes polymers, more specifically polymers of DNA. Chain comes from Old French chaeine, which is from Latin catena 'chain,' which in turn is from the Proto-Indo-European base kat 'to twist, twine.' Reaction comes from the Late Latin past participle stem of reagere 'react,' which is derived from re 'back' + ag 'act, do, drive' + ion (noun forming suffix).
Source : "I'm going to PCR the fragment so we can purify it tomorrow." (lab technician, July 2008)
Last modified: 5 December 2008