definitions

sex chromosome

noun Genetics.

a chromosome, differing in shape or function from other chromosomes, that determines the sex of an individual.

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RELATED WORDS

heterochromosome

Nearby words

sex assignment, sex cell, sex cells, sex change, sex chromatin, sex chromosome, sex chromosome imbalance, sex chromosomes, sex crime, sex determination, sex factor

Origin of sex chromosome

First recorded in 1910–15
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for sex chromosomes

sex chromosome

noun

either of the chromosomes determining the sex of animalsSee also X-chromosome, Y-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

Medicine definitions for sex chromosomes

sex chromosome

n.

Either of a pair of chromosomes, usually designated X or Y, that combine to determine the sex and sex-linked characteristics of an individual, with XX resulting in a female and XY in a male.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for sex chromosomes

sex chromosome

Either of a pair of chromosomes, usually called X and Y, that in combination determine the sex of an individual in many animals and in some plants. In mammals, XX results in a female and XY in a male, while the opposite is true in birds (where the designations ZW for female and ZZ for male are often used). Sex chromosomes carry the genes that control the development of reproductive organs and secondary sex characteristics. In some organisms, sex is determined by environmental influences. See also X-chromosome Y-chromosome.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Culture definitions for sex chromosomes

sex chromosomes

The two chromosomes in each body cell of a living thing that determine what sex it is.

Note

As with other pairs of chromosomes, one of the sex chromosomes is contributed by each parent; they are of two types, X and Y. The mother supplies only an X-chromosome, but the father can transmit both the X- and the Y-chromosome. At fertilization, if the father's sperm is also carrying an X-chromosome, the child will be female. If the father's sperm is carrying a Y-chromosome, the child will be male.
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.