episome

[ ep-uh-sohm ]

nounGenetics.
  1. bacterial DNA that is extrachromosomal and that may replicate autonomously as a plasmid or become incorporated into the chromosome and replicate with it.

Origin of episome

1
First recorded in 1930–35; epi- + -some3

Other words from episome

  • ep·i·so·mal, adjective
  • ep·i·so·mal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby episome

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

British Dictionary definitions for episome

episome

/ (ˈɛpɪˌsəʊm) /


noun
  1. a unit of genetic material (DNA) in bacteria, such as a plasmid, that can either replicate independently or can be integrated into the host chromosome

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012