Barr body
[ bahr ]
/ bɑr /
noun
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
1960–65; after Murray L. Barr (born 1908), Canadian physician
Also called sex chromatin.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Medical definitions for barr body
Barr body
[ bär ]
n.
The condensed, inactive, single X-chromosome found in the nuclei of somatic cells of most female mammals and whose presence is the basis of sex determination tests that are performed, for example, on athletes.sex chromatin
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.