CEFR C2

nitrogenous base

noun

Meaning

A nitrogen-containing molecule that acts as a base in chemical reactions and serves as a fundamental building block of nucleic acids like DNA and RNA.

Examples

  • Adenine is a nitrogenous base that pairs specifically with thymine in the double helix structure of DNA.
  • The genetic code is determined by the precise order of each nitrogenous base along the sugar-phosphate backbone.

Synonyms: nucleobase