nucleoside

noun

nu·​cle·​o·​side ˈnü-klē-ə-ˌsīd How to pronounce nucleoside (audio)
ˈnyü-
: a compound (such as guanosine or adenosine) that consists of a purine or pyrimidine base combined with deoxyribose or ribose and is found especially in DNA or RNA

Examples of nucleoside in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web These carried the building blocks essential to living things: amino acids, lipids, nucleosides, and sugars. Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Popular Science, 25 May 2023 But academic researchers found modifying a small part of mRNA called a nucleoside could result in its slipping past the immune system. Juliet Chung, WSJ, 2 Oct. 2020 These ring-like nitrogen molecules were known to be a type of nucleoside, the broad term for the structural bases of DNA. Patrick Adams, National Geographic, 31 Aug. 2020 The first nucleoside analogues were approved for medicinal use in the 1950s. Katherine Seley-Radtke, The Conversation, 6 May 2020 In their newest paper, published in the same journal, the researchers showed that TAP and ribose easily bond when mixed in water, creating molecules known as nucleosides. Quanta Magazine, 5 Feb. 2014 In a group of nine patients with a disease similar to Charlie’s, one was able to breathe without a ventilator after being treated with nucleosides to improve muscle function, the doctor said. Joanna Sugden, WSJ, 13 July 2017 His parents want to take him to the U.S. for nucleoside therapy. Erin Hill, PEOPLE.com, 13 July 2017 With that, doctors concluded that nucleoside therapy would only prolong the child’s suffering. Dan Bilefsky and Sewell Chan, New York Times, 4 July 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nucleoside.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary nucle- + -ose entry 2 + -ide

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nucleoside was in 1911

Dictionary Entries Near nucleoside

Cite this Entry

“Nucleoside.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nucleoside. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

nucleoside

noun
nu·​cle·​o·​side ˈn(y)ü-klē-ə-ˌsīd How to pronounce nucleoside (audio)
: a compound (as guanosine or adenosine) that consists of a purine or pyrimidine base combined with deoxyribose or ribose and is found especially in DNA or RNA compare nucleotide

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