Parallel but running in opposite directions, like two arrows pointing away from each other rather than in the same direction.
From anti- (opposite) + parallel (from Greek parallelos, beside one another). The term emerged in physics and mathematics to describe configurations where lines or vectors point in contrary directions while maintaining geometric parallelism.
In DNA, the two strands run antiparallel to each other—one goes left-to-right while the other goes right-to-left—and this opposite orientation is absolutely crucial for how DNA can copy itself and store genetic information.
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