nucleotide
n.a small chemical unit that is the basic building block of DNA and RNA. These units join together to form the long strands that carry genetic information.
n.a monomer consisting of a nitrogenous base, a sugar, and a phosphate group, which serves as the fundamental unit of nucleic acids. Each nucleotide contributes to the genetic code through its specific base pairing.
“Each nucleotide contains a sugar, a phosphate, and a base.”
“Scientists identified a specific nucleotide sequence that was responsible for the mutation in the virus.”
“The precise arrangement of nucleotides along the DNA helix determines the genetic instructions for protein synthesis and cellular function.”
From nucleo- (“relating to the nucleus”) + -ide (“chemical suffix”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.