Barr body

[ bahr ]

noun
  1. a condensed, inactivated X chromosome present in most female mammals in the nuclei of all cells except the germ cells: used, as in sports competitions, to verify that an individual is genetically female.

Origin of Barr body

1
First recorded in 1960–65; named after Murray L. Barr (1908–88), Canadian physician

Words Nearby Barr body

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024