Main Entry:

nu·cle·o·tide

Pronunciation:

\ˈnü-klē-ə-ˌtīd, ˈnyü-\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

International Scientific Vocabulary, irregular from nucle- + -ide

Date:

1908

: 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 (as RNA and DNA) — compare nucleoside