genetic code

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

genet′ic code′, 

1. Genetics the biochemical instructions that translate the genetic information present as a linear sequence of nucleotide triplets in messenger RNA into the correct linear sequence of amino acids for the synthesis of a particular peptide chain or protein. Cf. codon, translation (def. 9).

• 1960–65

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

genetic code noun

1. the order in which the nitrogenous bases of DNA are arranged in the molecule, which determines the type and amount of protein synthesized in the cell. The four bases are arranged in groups of three in a specific order, each group acting as a unit (codon), which specifies a particular amino acid
   See also messenger RNA, transfer RNA