nucleotide

[ noo-klee-uh-tahyd, nyoo- ]

/ ˈnu kli əˌtaɪd, ˈnyu- /

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.

Nearby words

nucleoside, nucleoside analogue, nucleosome, nucleosynthesis, nucleotidase, nucleotide, nucleotides, nucleotidyltransferase, nucleotoxin, nucleus, nucleus fastigii

Origin of nucleotide

First recorded in 1905–10; alteration of nucleoside

Related forms

in·ter·nu·cle·o·tide, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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

Medicine definitions for nucleotide

nucleotide

[ nōō′klē-ə-tīd′ ]

n.

Any of various compounds consisting of a nucleoside combined with a phosphate group and forming the basic constituent of DNA and RNA.

Science definitions for nucleotide

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.