nucleotide
noun
nu·cle·o·tide ˈnü-klē-ə-ˌtīd 
ˈnyü-
: any of several compounds that consist of a ribose or deoxyribose sugar joined to a purine or pyrimidine base and to a phosphate group and that are the basic structural units of nucleic acids (such as RNA and DNA) compare nucleoside
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web By contrast, consumer tests analyze people’s genetic code by looking at single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, single-letter changes in DNA sequences that make people unique. 
WIRED, 8 Sep. 2022 Since the full nucleotide sequence of the myxoma-like virus has yet to be elucidated, there may have been several factors that contributed to the enhanced infectability of the Iberian hares. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 6 June 2022 The 50 differences in the monkyepox virus 2022 were 50 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 25 June 2022 Together with Adam Phillippy, a computational biologist at the National Human Genome Research Institute, Miga launched the Telomere-to-Telomere (T2T) consortium in 2018 to finally sequence every last nucleotide of human DNA. Quanta Magazine, 8 Sep. 2021 Once it is recopied, the replicating polymerase develops transition mutations, where a U nucleotide is converted to a C and a C to U. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2021 The joint effects of five single-nucleotide mutations in beta-lactamase can increase its antibiotic resistance by a factor of 100,000. Quanta Magazine, 11 Jan. 2022 Historically, scientists had to create mutations one nucleotide or amino acid at a time, then purify the mutant protein and assess its function. Quanta Magazine, 11 Jan. 2022 These include an amino acid change observed in the NSP12 polymerase, P323L, and a single nucleotide change occurred in the five prime untranslated region, C241U. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2021 See More
WIRED, 8 Sep. 2022 Since the full nucleotide sequence of the myxoma-like virus has yet to be elucidated, there may have been several factors that contributed to the enhanced infectability of the Iberian hares. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 6 June 2022 The 50 differences in the monkyepox virus 2022 were 50 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 25 June 2022 Together with Adam Phillippy, a computational biologist at the National Human Genome Research Institute, Miga launched the Telomere-to-Telomere (T2T) consortium in 2018 to finally sequence every last nucleotide of human DNA. Quanta Magazine, 8 Sep. 2021 Once it is recopied, the replicating polymerase develops transition mutations, where a U nucleotide is converted to a C and a C to U. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2021 The joint effects of five single-nucleotide mutations in beta-lactamase can increase its antibiotic resistance by a factor of 100,000. Quanta Magazine, 11 Jan. 2022 Historically, scientists had to create mutations one nucleotide or amino acid at a time, then purify the mutant protein and assess its function. Quanta Magazine, 11 Jan. 2022 These include an amino acid change observed in the NSP12 polymerase, P323L, and a single nucleotide change occurred in the five prime untranslated region, C241U. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
International Scientific Vocabulary, irregular from nucle- + -ide
First Known Use
1908, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing nucleotide
Medical Definition
nucleotide
noun
nu·cle·o·tide ˈn(y)ü-klē-ə-ˌtīd
: any of several compounds that consist of a ribose or deoxyribose sugar joined to a purine or pyrimidine base and to a phosphate group and that are the basic structural units of RNA and DNA compare nucleoside