leptotene
[ lep-tuh-teen ]
nounCell Biology.
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.
Origin of leptotene
1Words Nearby leptotene
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British Dictionary definitions for leptotene
leptotene
/ (ˈlɛptəʊˌtiːn) /
noun
the first stage of the prophase of meiosis during which the nuclear material becomes resolved into slender single-stranded chromosomes
Origin of leptotene
1C20: from lepto- + -tene, from Greek tainia band, filament
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
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