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definitions

gene

[jeen]
See more synonyms for gene on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the basic physical unit of heredity; a linear sequence of nucleotides along a segment of DNA that provides the coded instructions for synthesis of RNA, which, when translated into protein, leads to the expression of hereditary character.

Origin of gene

1911; < German Gen (1909), apparently abstracted from -gen -gen; introduced by Danish geneticist Wilhelm L. Johannsen (1857–1927)
Can be confusedgenes jeans

Gene

[jeen]
noun
  1. a male given name, form of Eugene.

-gen

  1. a combining form meaning “that which produces,” used in the formation of compound words: endogen; hydrogen.
Also -gene.

Origin of -gen

< French -gène ≪ Greek -genēs born, produced; akin to Latin genus, kin

Kelly

[kel-ee]
noun
  1. Ellsworth,born 1923, U.S. painter and sculptor.
  2. Emmett (Leo),1898–1979, U.S. circus clown and pantomimist.
  3. Eugene Cur·ran [kur-uh n, kuhr-] /ˈkɜr ən, ˈkʌr-/, Gene, 1912–96, U.S. dancer, choreographer, actor, and director.
  4. George (Edward),1887–1974, U.S. playwright and actor.
  5. Grace PatriciaPrincess Grace of Monaco, 1929–82, U.S. actress: married Prince Rainier III of Monaco 1956.
  6. Walt,1913–73, U.S. cartoonist.
  7. Also Kel·lie. a male or female given name.

Tunney

[tuhn-ee]
noun
  1. James JosephGene, 1898–1978, U.S. boxer: world heavyweight champion 1926–28.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for gene

heredity, RNA, gene, chromosome

Examples from the Web for gene

Contemporary Examples of gene

Historical Examples of gene

  • Jack bueno, mebbyso Gene bueno, mebbyso Clark, mebbyso Donny all time bueno.

    Good Indian

    B. M. Bower

  • "He wouldn't say a blamed thing about it," Gene complained sincerely.

    Good Indian

    B. M. Bower

  • "And that's a lie," Gene amended, with the frankness of a foster-brother.

    Good Indian

    B. M. Bower

  • "Well, you ask Clark, when you see him," Gene hinted darkly.

    Good Indian

    B. M. Bower

  • Gene and Clark came in, sulky still, and inclined to snappishness when they did speak.

    Good Indian

    B. M. Bower

British Dictionary definitions for gene

gene

noun
  1. a unit of heredity composed of DNA occupying a fixed position on a chromosome (some viral genes are composed of RNA). A gene may determine a characteristic of an individual by specifying a polypeptide chain that forms a protein or part of a protein (structural gene); or encode an RNA molecule; or regulate the operation of other genes or repress such operationSee also operon

Word Origin for gene

C20: from German Gen, shortened from Pangen; see pan-, -gen

Kelly

noun
  1. Gene, full name Eugene Curran Kelly. 1912–96, US dancer, choreographer, film actor, and director. His many films include An American in Paris (1951) and Singin' in the Rain (1952)
  2. Grace. 1929–82, US film actress. Her films included High Noon (1952) and High Society (1956). She married Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956 and died following a car crash
  3. Ned. 1855–80, Australian horse and cattle thief and bushranger, active in Victoria: captured by the police and hanged
  4. game as Ned Kelly or as game as Ned Kelly See game 1 (def. 25)

Tunney

noun
  1. Gene, original name James Joseph Tunney . 1897–1978, US boxer; world heavyweight champion (1926–28)

-gen

suffix forming nouns
  1. producing or that which produceshydrogen
  2. something producedcarcinogen

Word Origin for -gen

via French -gène, from Greek -genēs born
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 gene
n.

1911, from German Gen, coined 1905 by Danish scientist Wilhelm Ludvig Johannsen (1857-1927), from Greek genea "generation, race" (see genus). De Vries had earlier called them pangenes. Gene pool is attested from 1950.

Kelly

common Irish surname, from Old Irish ceallach "war." As a type of pool played with 15 balls, it is attested from 1898. Kelly green first recorded 1917.

-gen

word-forming element technically meaning "something produced," but mainly, in modern use, "thing that produces or causes," from French -gène (18c.), from Greek -genes "born of, produced by," related to genos "birth" (see genus). Originally in late 18th century chemistry and probably reflecting misunderstanding of -genes, as though it meant "that which produces."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
gene in Medicine

gene

[jēn]
n.
  1. A hereditary unit that occupies a specific location on a chromosome, determines a particular characteristic in an organism by directing the formation of a specific protein, and is capable of replicating itself at each cell division.

-gen

suff.
  1. Producer:androgen.
  2. One that is produced:phosgene.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
gene in Science

gene

[jēn]
  1. A segment of DNA, occupying a specific place on a chromosome, that is the basic unit of heredity. Genes act by directing the production of RNA, which determines the synthesis of proteins that make up living matter and are the catalysts of all cellular processes. The proteins that are determined by genetic DNA result in specific physical traits, such as the shape of a plant leaf, the coloration of an animal's coat, or the texture of a person's hair. Different forms of genes, called alleles, determine how these traits are expressed in a given individual. Humans are thought to have 20,000 to 25,000 genes; bacteria have between 500 and 6,000. See also dominant recessive. See Note at Mendel.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
gene in Culture

gene

A portion of a DNA molecule that serves as the basic unit of heredity. Genes control the characteristics that an offspring will have by transmitting information in the sequence of nucleotides on short sections of DNA.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.