ribonucleic acidPronunciation: /ˌrʌɪbə(ʊ)njuːˈkleɪɪk, -ˈkliːɪk/Definition of ribonucleic acid noun see RNA.Origin: 1930s: ribonucleic from ribose + nucleic acidribonucleic acid in other Oxford dictionaries Definition of ribonucleic acid in the US English dictionary