Barr body

American  

[bahr] / bɑr /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of Barr body

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