chromatin

[ kroh-muh-tin ]

/ ˈkroʊ mə tɪn /

noun Cell Biology.

the readily stainable substance of a cell nucleus, consisting of DNA, RNA, and various proteins, that forms chromosomes during cell division.

Nearby words

chromaticity coordinates, chromaticity diagram, chromaticness, chromatics, chromatid, chromatin, chromatin body, chromatism, chromatist, chromato-, chromatogenous

Origin of chromatin

First recorded in 1880–85; chromat- + -in²

Related forms

chro·ma·tin·ic, adjectivechro·ma·toid, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for chromatin

During the resting stage this chromatin material may have the form of a thread, or may form a network of fibres (see Fig. 27).
The Story of the Living Machine|H. W. Conn
The nucleus soon enlarges (fig. 80) and a large dense body (n) appears which stains like chromatin with various staining media.
Studies in Spermatogenesis|Nettie Maria Stevens
A brief account of a chromatin element resembling the accessory chromosome in Sagitta has been added for comparison.
Studies in Spermatogenesis (Part 1 of 2)|Nettie Maria Stevens
Half the chromatin material passes into each of the two cells formed.
Taboo and Genetics|Melvin Moses Knight, Iva Lowther Peters, and Phyllis Mary Blanchard

The nucleus is large and ellipsoidal, with characteristic longitudinal markings of chromatin.
Marine Protozoa from Woods Hole|Gary N. Calkins

British Dictionary definitions for chromatin

chromatin

/ (ˈkrəʊmətɪn) /

noun

cytology the part of the nucleus that consists of DNA and proteins, forms the chromosomes, and stains with basic dyesSee also euchromatin, heterochromatin

Derived Forms

chromatinic, adjectivechromatoid, adjective

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

Medicine definitions for chromatin

chromatin

[ krō′mə-tĭn ]

n.

A complex of nucleic acids and proteins in the cell nucleus that stains readily with basic dyes and condenses to form chromosomes during cell division.

Science definitions for chromatin

chromatin

[ krō′mə-tĭn ]

The substance distributed in the nucleus of a cell that condenses to form chromosomes during cell division. It consists mainly of DNA and proteins called histones.