point mutation

noun Genetics.

a change in a single base in a nucleotide sequence.

Origin of point mutation

First recorded in 1920–25

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

point mutation in Medicine

point mutation

n.

A mutation that involves a single nucleotide and may consist of loss of a nucleotide, substitution of one nucleotide for another, or the insertion of an additional nucleotide.

point mutation in Science

point mutation

A mutation in which one nucleotide is added, deleted, or replaced by another. Point mutations include missense, nonsense, frameshift, and silent mutations.