genetic code

noun

: the biochemical basis of heredity consisting of codons in DNA and RNA that determine the specific amino acid sequence in proteins and appear to be uniform for nearly all known forms of life

Examples of genetic code in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These snippets of genetic code prompt your immune system to replicate—for example—part of a virus encoded by that mRNA and then learn how to fight it off. —Chris Baraniuk, WIRED, 3 Oct. 2024

Cracking the genetic code of human life involved an international consortium of thousands of researchers in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan and China. —Katie Hunt, CNN, 5 Oct. 2024

The most advanced models can even predict some of the large-scale characteristics of a bacterial cell, its phenotype, given the organism’s genetic code. —The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 30 Sep. 2024

These proteins act like an invisible shield, absorbing energy from the radiation and preventing it from causing harmful mutations to the tardigrade’s genetic code. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

genetic code

noun

: the chemical code that is the basis of genetic inheritance and consists of units of three linked chemical groups which specify particular kinds of amino acids used to make proteins or which start or stop the process of making proteins

Medical Definition

genetic code

noun

: the biochemical basis of heredity consisting of codons in DNA and RNA that determine the specific amino acid sequence in proteins and that appear to be uniform for all known forms of life

genetic coding noun