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nucleotide

[ noo-klee-uh-tahyd, nyoo- ]
/ ˈnu kli əˌtaɪd, ˈnyu- /
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noun Biochemistry.
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.

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Origin of nucleotide

First recorded in 1905–10; alteration of nucleoside

OTHER WORDS FROM nucleotide

in·ter·nu·cle·o·tide, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use nucleotide in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for nucleotide

nucleotide
/ (ˈnjuːklɪəˌtaɪd) /

noun
biochem a compound consisting of a nucleoside linked to phosphoric acid. Nucleic acids are made up of long chains (polynucleotides) of such compounds

Word Origin for nucleotide

C20: from nucleo- + t (added for ease of pronunciation) + -ide
Collins 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

nucleotide
[ nōōklē-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.
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