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chromatin

American  
[kroh-muh-tin] / ˈkroʊ mə tɪn /

noun

Cell Biology.

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

chromatin British  
/ ˈkrəʊmətɪn /

noun

  1. cytology the part of the nucleus that consists of DNA and proteins, forms the chromosomes, and stains with basic dyes See also euchromatin heterochromatin

"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
chromatin Scientific  
/ krō′mə-tĭn /

  1. 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.

Other Word Forms

  • chromatinic adjective
  • chromatoid adjective

Etymology

Origin of chromatin

First recorded in 1880–85; chromat- + -in 2

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Vocabulary lists containing chromatin

Cell Biology - Middle School

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Cell Biology - High School

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Genetics - High School

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

BET inhibitors were designed to block a shared feature that all BET proteins use to attach to chromatin, the tightly packed structure of DNA and proteins where genes are stored and controlled.

From Science Daily • Apr. 9, 2026

If you stop these proteins from binding to chromatin, you can shut down the machinery that activates cancer-driving genes.

From Science Daily • Apr. 9, 2026

Their experiments showed that these enzymes gather near chromatin when DNA damage occurs.

From Science Daily • Mar. 9, 2026

Genes that control the activity of other genes, including those involved in transcription and chromatin regulation, are often linked to dominant disorders.

From Science Daily • Jan. 11, 2026

The allegiances shifted: the handmaiden of chromatin was suddenly its queen.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.