Nucleotide
/ˈn(j)u(ː)kliəˌtaɪd/ noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The monomer constituting DNA or RNA biopolymer molecules. Each nucleotide consists of a nitrogenous heterocyclic base (or nucleobase), which can be either a double-ringed purine or a single-ringed pyrimidine; a five-carbon pentose sugar (deoxyribose in DNA or ribose in RNA); and a phosphate group.
"With a genome of only 400 million or so nucleotide bases, the pufferfish, Fugu rubripes rubripes, has the smallest known genome of any vertebrate animal. […] But the region of DNA between the landmarks can be a million or more nucleotides long."
- 2 a phosphoric ester of a nucleoside; the basic structural unit of nucleic acids (DNA or RNA) wordnet
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"With a genome of only 400 million or so nucleotide bases, the pufferfish, Fugu rubripes rubripes, has the smallest known genome of any vertebrate animal. […] But the region of DNA between the landmarks can be a million or more nucleotides long."
Etymology
From nucleo- (“relating to the nucleus”) + -ide (“chemical suffix”).