single nucleotide polymorphism
nounMedical Definition of single nucleotide polymorphism
: snp
Although all humans share 99.9 percent of their genetic material, single-letter differences in our DNA sequences—known as single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs ("snips")—ensure that each individual is unique.— Alison McCook, Scientific American, July 2001 In DNA dialect, if the nucleotide letter T appears instead of C, or G where usually there's A, the gene is said to contain a single nucleotide polymorphism.— Jeff Wheelwright, Discover, April 2002