What does the abbreviation DNA stand for?

The abbreviation DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleic acid. This term accurately reflects the structure and components of the molecule: it is made up of deoxyribose sugar, phosphate groups, and nitrogenous bases (adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine). The term nucleic acid highlights that DNA is one of the two types of nucleic acids, the other being RNA (ribonucleic acid), which plays a crucial role in the coding, decoding, regulation, and expression of genes. Understanding the correct full term is important in the field of genetics and molecular biology, as it provides insight into the role of DNA as the hereditary material in organisms.

The other options do not correctly describe DNA: "Deoxyribose nucleic acid" misleadingly emphasizes the sugar component but omits the important aspect of it being an acid; "Deoxyribonucleoside acid" erroneously includes "nucleoside," which refers to a sugar and base combination, but does not include the phosphate group essential to DNA; and "Deoxyribonitric acid" incorrectly substitutes "nucleic" for "nitric," which is not relevant to the structure of DNA.