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polytene chromosome

American

[pol-ee-teen] / ˈpɒl iˌtin /

noun

Genetics.

a giant, cross-banded chromosome that results from multiple replication of its genetic material with the duplicated chromatin strands remaining closely associated.

First recorded in 1970–75; poly- + -tene

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023