-tene

1. a combining form meaning “ribbon,” used in biology to form compound nouns that refer to the shape or number of chromosomes involved in meiosis:

   leptotene; pachytene; diplotene.

Word History and Origins

Origin of -tene¹

< French -tène (in scientific compounds) < Latin taenia taenia

Example Sentences

Other ferules assume a long and graceful shape, and one is decorated with La Tène motives (fig. 45).

From Project Gutenberg