anticodon

[ an-tee-koh-don, an-tahy- ]

noun

, Genetics.

1. a sequence of three nucleotides in a region of transfer RNA that recognizes a complementary coding triplet of nucleotides in messenger RNA during translation by the ribosomes in protein biosynthesis. Compare codon ( def ).

anticodon

/ ăn′tē-kō′dŏn,ăn′tī- /

1. A sequence of three adjacent nucleotides in transfer RNA that binds to a corresponding codon in messenger RNA and designates a specific amino acid during protein synthesis.

Word History and Origins

Origin of anticodon¹

First recorded in 1960–65; anti- + codon