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definitions

chromosome

[ kroh-muh-sohm ]
/ ˈkroʊ məˌsoʊm /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR chromosome ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Genetics.

any of several threadlike bodies, consisting of chromatin, that carry the genes in a linear order: the human species has 23 pairs, designated 1 to 22 in order of decreasing size and X and Y for the female and male sex chromosomes respectively.

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RELATED WORDS

heredity, RNA, gene

Nearby words

  1. chromosomal instability syndrome,
  2. chromosomal map,
  3. chromosomal region,
  4. chromosomal syndrome,
  5. chromosomal trait,
  6. chromosome aberration,
  7. chromosome band,
  8. chromosome map,
  9. chromosome mapping,
  10. chromosome number

Origin of chromosome

First recorded in 1885–90; chromo- + -some3
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for chromosome

British Dictionary definitions for chromosome

chromosome

/ (ˈkrəʊməˌsəʊm) /

noun

any of the microscopic rod-shaped structures that appear in a cell nucleus during cell division, consisting of nucleoprotein arranged into units (genes) that are responsible for the transmission of hereditary characteristicsSee also homologous chromosomes
Derived Formschromosomal, adjectivechromosomally, adverb
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

Word Origin and History for chromosome

chromosome

n.

1889, from German Chromosom, coined 1888 by German anatomist Wilhelm von Waldeyer-Hartz (1836-1921), from Latinized form of Greek khroma "color" (see chroma) + -some (3)). So called because the structures contain a substance that stains readily with basic dyes.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for chromosome

chromosome

[ krō′mə-sōm′ ]

n.

A threadlike linear strand of DNA and associated proteins in the nucleus of animal and plant cells that carries the genes and functions in the transmission of hereditary information.
A circular strand of DNA in bacteria and cyanobacteria that contains the hereditary information necessary for cell life.
Related formschro′mo•so′mal (-sō′məl) null adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for chromosome

chromosome

[ krō′mə-sōm′ ]

A structure in all living cells that consists of a single molecule of DNA bonded to various proteins and that carries the genes determining heredity. In all eukaryotic cells, the chromosomes occur as threadlike strands in the nucleus. During cell reproduction, these strands coil up and condense into much thicker structures that are easily viewed under a microscope. Chromosomes occur in pairs in all of the cells of eukaryotes except the reproductive cells, which have one of each chromosome, and some red blood cells (such as those of mammals) that expel their nuclei. In bacterial cells and other prokaryotes, which have no nucleus, the chromosome is a circular strand of DNA located in the cytoplasm.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.