nucleotide
any of a group of molecules that, when linked together, form the building blocks of DNA or RNA: composed of a phosphate group, the bases adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine, and a pentose sugar, in RNA the thymine base being replaced by uracil.
Compare Meanings
Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.
Origin of nucleotide
1Other words from nucleotide
- in·ter·nu·cle·o·tide, adjective
Words Nearby nucleotide
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use nucleotide in a sentence
The team can retrieve specific files by adding complementary nucleotide sequences, or primers, corresponding to an individual file’s label.
Each of These Microscopic Glass Beads Stores an Image Encoded on a Strand of DNA | Jason Dorrier | June 20, 2021 | Singularity HubEach strand of DNA includes an identifying sequence that matches a short sequence of nucleotides called a PCR primer.
Each of These Microscopic Glass Beads Stores an Image Encoded on a Strand of DNA | Jason Dorrier | June 20, 2021 | Singularity HubIn the study, the team manipulated the PCSK9 gene by changing a single nucleotide from A to G at a specific location.
One CRISPR Treatment Lowered Cholesterol in Monkeys by 60 Percent | Vanessa Bates Ramirez | May 26, 2021 | Singularity HubEach strand acts as a template for a new molecule, built by matching the nucleotides on one strand with new nucleotides.
The information-carry subunits of the molecules are known as nucleotides.
Here’s why COVID-19 vaccines like Pfizer’s need to be kept so cold | Tina Hesman Saey | November 20, 2020 | Science News
British Dictionary definitions for nucleotide
/ (ˈnjuːklɪəˌtaɪd) /
biochem a compound consisting of a nucleoside linked to phosphoric acid. Nucleic acids are made up of long chains (polynucleotides) of such compounds
Origin of nucleotide
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for nucleotide
[ nōō′klē-ə-tīd′ ]
Any of a group of organic compounds composed of a nucleoside linked to a phosphate group. Nucleotides are the basic building blocks of nucleic acids.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse