Nucleoside

Pronunciation
/NOO-klee-oh-side/
Category
Molecular Biology
Singular
Nucleoside
Plural
Nucleosides

Definition

A chemical consisting of a purine or pyrimidine base attached to a five-carbon sugar.

Etymology

From the Greek words 'nukleion', meaning 'kernel' and 'idos', meaning 'appearance'.

Example

Nucleosides are essential components of DNA and RNA.

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