chromonema

[ kroh-muh-nee-muh ]

/ ˌkroʊ məˈni mə /

noun, plural chro·mo·ne·ma·ta [kroh-muh-nee-muh-tuh] /ˌkroʊ məˈni mə tə/. Genetics.

a chromosome thread that is relatively uncoiled at early prophase but assumes a spiral form at metaphase.

Nearby words

chromolithograph, chromolithography, chromolysis, chromomere, chromomycosis, chromonema, chromophil, chromophil adenoma, chromophile, chromophilia, chromophilous

Origin of chromonema

1920–25; chromo- + Greek nêma thread

Related forms

chro·mo·ne·mat·ic

[kroh-muh-nuh-mat-ik, -nee-] /ˌkroʊ mə nəˈmæt ɪk, -ni-/, adjective

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

British Dictionary definitions for chromonema

chromonema

/ (ˌkrəʊməˈniːmə) /

noun plural -mata (-mətə) cytology

the coiled mass of threads visible within a nucleus at the start of cell division

a coiled chromatin thread within a single chromosome

Derived Forms

chromonemal, chromonematic (ˌkrəʊməʊnɪˈmætɪk) or chromonemic, adjective

Word Origin for chromonema

C20: from chromo- + Greek nēma thread, yarn

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 chromonema

chromonema

[ krō′mə-nē′mə ]

n. pl. chro•mo•ne•ma•ta (-mə-tə)

The coiled filament that extends the entire length of a chromosome and on which the genes are located.