episome

[ ep-uh-sohm ]

/ ˈɛp əˌsoʊm /

noun Genetics.

bacterial DNA that is extrachromosomal and that may replicate autonomously as a plasmid or become incorporated into the chromosome and replicate with it.

Words nearby episome

episiostenosis, episiotomy, episode, episodic, episodic memory, episome, epispadias, epispastic, episplenitis, epispore, epist.

Origin of episome

First recorded in 1930–35; epi- + -some³

OTHER WORDS FROM episome

ep·i·so·mal, adjectiveep·i·so·mal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for episome

episome

/ (ˈɛpɪˌsəʊm) /

noun

a unit of genetic material (DNA) in bacteria, such as a plasmid, that can either replicate independently or can be integrated into the host chromosome

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

Medical definitions for episome

episome

[ ĕp′ĭ-sōm′ ]

n.

A genetic particle within certain cells, especially bacterial cells, that can exist either autonomously in the cytoplasm or as part of a chromosome.