nucleotide
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nucleotide
First recorded in 1905–10; alteration of nucleoside
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Vocabulary lists containing nucleotide
Genetics - Middle School
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Genetics - High School
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Biochemistry
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
DNA is assembled one nucleotide at a time.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
Before the next nucleotide can be attached, that blocking group must be removed through a process called deprotection, which is triggered by acidic conditions, or low pH, in water.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
This enables the essential information defining an organism’s core features—represented in the nucleotide sequences of DNA—to be passed down to its offspring.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
While the nucleotide sequence of RNA is encoded by the DNA of the genome, RNA molecules undergo several modifications before eventually entering the ribosome to make protein.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 13, 2024
During reproduction, the helices separate, assisted by a special unwinding protein, each synthesizing an identical copy of the other from nucleotide building blocks floating about nearby in the viscous liquid of the cell nucleus.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
