spireme

American

[spahy-reem] / ˈspaɪ rim /

noun

Cell Biology.

the threadlike chromatin of a cell nucleus, present during early meiosis or mitosis.

spireme British

/ ˈspaɪriːm /

noun

cytology the tangled mass of chromatin threads into which the nucleus of a cell is resolved at the start of mitosis

"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

Etymology

Origin of spireme

1885–90; < Greek speírēma coil, equivalent to speirē-, variant stem of speirâsthai to be coiled around + -ma noun suffix of result

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

spireme

Figures 247 and 248 show the condensation of chromatin granules to form tetrads of various sizes, still embedded in the linin spireme.

From Studies in Spermatogenesis Part II by Nettie Maria Stevens

Condensation stage, bouquet stage, spireme stage, and rather rare tetrad stage of young spermatocyte.

From Studies in Spermatogenesis Part I by Nettie Maria Stevens

Figure 55 shows the spireme segmented and split longitudinally.

From Studies in Spermatogenesis Part I by Nettie Maria Stevens

Young spermatocyte, element x attached to one end of a long, fine spireme.

From Studies in Spermatogenesis Part I by Nettie Maria Stevens

At first it is quite small, and it gradually increases in size during the spireme stage.

From Studies in Spermatogenesis Part I by Nettie Maria Stevens

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