- plural of chromosome.
chromosomes
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In humans, sex is determined by two chromosomes: an X-chromosome, which is female, and a Y-chromosome, which is male. (See sex chromosomes.)
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.
They can reveal which genes an animal possesses without showing exactly where those genes are positioned along its chromosomes.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
Instead, most were located on autosomes, the non sex chromosomes shared by males and females.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
Under this genetic system, females develop from fertilized eggs and possess two sets of chromosomes, while males develop from unfertilized eggs and have only one set.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026
The results suggest that the repeated emergence of complex insect societies may depend more on biological traits specific to certain evolutionary groups than on the way chromosomes are inherited.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026
But a second mechanism of generating genetic diversity exists: genetic information can be swapped between chromosomes.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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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.