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locus

[ loh-kuhs ]
/ ˈloʊ kəs /
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See synonyms for: locus / loci on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural lo·ci [loh-sahy, -kee, -kahy], /ˈloʊ saɪ, -ki, -kaɪ/, lo·ca [loh-kuh]. /ˈloʊ kə/.
a place; locality.
a center or source, as of activities or power: locus of control.
Mathematics. the set of all points, lines, or surfaces that satisfy a given requirement.
Genetics. the chromosomal position of a gene as determined by its linear order relative to the other genes on that chromosome.
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Origin of locus

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin; Old Latin stlocus “a place”
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use locus in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for locus

locus
/ (ˈləʊkəs) /

noun plural loci (ˈləʊsaɪ)
(in many legal phrases) a place or area, esp the place where something occurred
maths a set of points whose location satisfies or is determined by one or more specified conditionsthe locus of points equidistant from a given point is a circle
genetics the position of a particular gene on a chromosome

Word Origin for locus

C18: Latin
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

Scientific definitions for locus

locus
[ lōkəs ]

Plural loci (sī′, -kē, -kī′)
The set or configuration of all points whose coordinates satisfy a single equation or one or more algebraic conditions.
The position that a given gene occupies on a chromosome.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for locus

locus

plur. loci (loh-seye, loh-keye)

In geometry, the set of all points (and only those points) that satisfy certain conditions; these points form a curve or figure. For example, the locus of all points in space one foot from a given point is a sphere having a radius of one foot and having its center at the given point. The locus of all points in a plane one foot from a given point is a circle having a radius of one foot and having its center at the given point.

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.
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