genetic code

American  

noun

1. the biochemical instructions that translate the genetic information present as a linear sequence of nucleotide triplets in messenger RNA into the correct linear sequence of amino acids for the synthesis of a particular peptide chain or protein.

---

genetic code British  

noun

1. biochem the order in which the nitrogenous bases of DNA are arranged in the molecule, which determines the type and amount of protein synthesized in the cell. The four bases are arranged in groups of three in a specific order, each group acting as a unit (codon), which specifies a particular amino acid See also messenger RNA transfer RNA

---

genetic code Scientific  

/ jə-nĕt′ĭk /

1. The sequence of nucleotides in DNA and RNA that serve as instructions for synthesizing proteins. The genetic code is based on an “alphabet” consisting of sixty-four triplets of nucleotides called codons. The order in which codons are strung together determines the order in which the amino acids for which they code are arranged in a protein.

---

genetic code Cultural  

1. The code that translates the sequence of nucleotides in genes along the DNA strand into the structure of protein, which, through its action as an enzyme, governs one chemical reaction in the cell. A simple mnemonic is “One gene codes for one protein which runs one reaction.”

---

Discover More

All living things share the same genetic code, a fact that represents strong evidence for evolution. Unraveling the genetic code was one of the great scientific achievements of the twentieth century, and it opened the way to genetic engineering.

Etymology

Origin of genetic code

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

The RNA-exon editors are capable of altering parts of genetic code to repair genetic instructions that cause disease.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

During the pandemic it was loaded with genetic code from the Covid-virus.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

In the small number of known genetic code variants, TAA and TAG usually change together and usually end up meaning the same thing.

From Science Daily • May 7, 2026

Their findings show that at least one microbe can tolerate ambiguity in its genetic code, overturning a central assumption in biology.

From Science Daily • Feb. 28, 2026

The genetic code had to be written into the material of DNA—just as intimately as scratches are etched into pith.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee