nucleotide

noun

nu·​cle·​o·​tide ˈnü-klē-ə-ˌtīd 

ˈnyü-

: any of several compounds that consist of a ribose or deoxyribose sugar joined to a purine or pyrimidine base and to a phosphate group and that are the basic structural units of nucleic acids (such as RNA and DNA) compare nucleoside

Examples of nucleotide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

By 2003, scientists had the complete sequence of the 3 billion nucleotide base pairs coding for 20,000 to 25,000 genes in the human genome. —Marc Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 10 June 2024

Such RNAs are typically longer than about 200 nucleotides, which are the chemical building blocks of DNA and RNA. —Philip Ball, Scientific American, 14 May 2024

This discovery established the groundwork for decoding the triple nucleotide code, essentially life's language. —William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

The mutation is a switch of a single nucleotide, or base, (often represented by letters A, C, T, and G). —Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 8 Dec. 2023

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary, irregular from nucle- + -ide

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing nucleotide

• diphosphopyridine nucleotide
• triphosphopyridine nucleotide

Kids Definition

nucleotide

noun

nu·​cle·​o·​tide ˈn(y)ü-klē-ə-ˌtīd 

: any of the basic units of structure of DNA or RNA that consist of a base (as adenine, cytosine, guanine, or thymine) joined to a sugar (as deoxyribose) with five carbon atoms in a molecule and to a phosphate group

Medical Definition

nucleotide

noun

nu·​cle·​o·​tide ˈn(y)ü-klē-ə-ˌtīd 

: any of several compounds that consist of a ribose or deoxyribose sugar joined to a purine or pyrimidine base and to a phosphate group and that are the basic structural units of RNA and DNA compare nucleoside