nucleotide

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

nounBiochemistry.
  1. 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.

Compare Meanings

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

Origin of nucleotide

1
First recorded in 1905–10; alteration of nucleoside

Other words from nucleotide

  • in·ter·nu·cle·o·tide, adjective

Words Nearby nucleotide

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use nucleotide in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for nucleotide

nucleotide

/ (ˈnjuːklɪəˌtaɪd) /


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

Origin of nucleotide

1
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′ ]


  1. 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.