a phosphoric ester of a nucleoside; the basic structural unit of nucleic acids (DNA or RNA)
"Each strand of DNA is composed of a long chain where every single link is a nucleotide."
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.
"The genetic code is stored within the linear sequence of nucleotides that make up the double helix structure of DNA."
In plain English: A nucleotide is the basic building block that makes up DNA and RNA molecules.
"Each nucleotide consists of three parts: a sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogen-containing base."
Usage: A nucleotide is the basic building block of DNA and RNA, composed of three parts: a sugar molecule, a phosphate group, and a nitrogen-containing base. Use this term when referring to individual units within genetic chains rather than describing entire strands or proteins.
The word nucleotide combines the prefix nucleo- from Latin, meaning "of or relating to a nucleus," with the chemical suffix -ide. It was formed in English to describe a molecule containing such a nucleus.