Definition of "ribosome" [ribosome]

• A minute round particle composed of RNA and protein that is found in the cytoplasm of living cells and serves as the site of assembly for polypeptides encoded by messenger RNA. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The active site consists of RNA (white strands), not protein (orange), supporting the conclusion that the ribosome is a ribozyme."
• "The ribosome is a machine that gets instructions from the genetic code and operates chemically in order to produce the product."
• "[AY] The ribosome is so important that it is a target for many antibiotics."