leptotene

[ lep-tuh-teen ]

noun

, Cell Biology.

1. a stage of cell division during the prophase of meiosis, in which the chromosomes are not distinct but appear as a mass of entangled threads.

leptotene

/ ˈlɛptəʊˌtiːn /

noun

1. the first stage of the prophase of meiosis during which the nuclear material becomes resolved into slender single-stranded chromosomes

Word History and Origins

Origin of leptotene¹

< French leptotène (1900); lepto-, -tene

Word History and Origins

Origin of leptotene¹

C20: from lepto- + -tene, from Greek tainia band, filament