bivalent

American  

[bahy-vey-luhnt, biv-uh-] / baɪˈveɪ lənt, ˈbɪv ə- /

adjective

1. Chemistry.

   1. having a valence of two.

   2. having two valences, as aluminum with valences of two and three.

2. Genetics. pertaining to associations of two homologous chromosomes.

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noun

1. Genetics. a pair of bivalent chromosomes, especially when pairing during meiosis.

bivalent British  

/ baɪˈveɪlənt, ˈbɪvə- /

adjective

1. chem another word for divalent

2. (of homologous chromosomes) associated together in pairs

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noun

1. a structure formed during meiosis consisting of two homologous chromosomes associated together

bivalent Scientific  

/ bī-vā′lənt /

1. Chemistry Having a valence of 2.

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Other Word Forms

• bivalence
  noun
• bivalency
  noun

Etymology

Origin of bivalent

First recorded in 1865–70; bi- ¹ + -valent

Example Sentences

Among those who had received the recently released bivalent booster vaccine, it was zero.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2023

The paper, "Understanding low bivalent COVID-19 booster uptake among US adults," was published in the journal Vaccine.

From Science Daily • Oct. 2, 2023

Only about one in five people got last year's bivalent booster and one in four adults in the U.S. are completely unvaccinated, according to CDC data and the KFF survey.

From Salon • Sep. 28, 2023

The new-and-improved vaccine will replace the former bivalent mRNA vaccine, approved last year but is now no longer authorized.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 15, 2023

Figures 69 and 70 show the 23 bivalent chromosomes in metaphase; in figure 69 the element x is shown partly behind the large chromosome and at a different level.

From Studies in Spermatogenesis Part I by Stevens, Nettie Maria