spireme

[ spahy-reem ]

/ ˈspaɪ rim /

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noun Cell Biology.

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

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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of spireme

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

Words nearby spireme

spirantize, spire, spirea, spired, spirelet, spireme, Spires, spiriferous, spirillum, spirit, spirit away

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use spireme in a sentence

In this process the chromatin becomes a convoluted thread, called the Skein or Spireme.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation|Austin O'Malley
In iron-hæmatoxylin preparations this pair is often obscured by parts of the spireme which are tangled around it.
Studies in Spermatogenesis|Nettie Maria Stevens
As in most of the other species of Coleoptera, the unequal pair is not distinguishable until the spireme stage.
Studies in Spermatogenesis|Nettie Maria Stevens
It is closely applied to the nuclear membrane and is connected with an end of the spireme (figs. 51-54).
Studies in Spermatogenesis (Part 1 of 2)|Nettie Maria Stevens

At first it is quite small, and it gradually increases in size during the spireme stage.
Studies in Spermatogenesis (Part 1 of 2)|Nettie Maria Stevens

British Dictionary definitions for spireme

spireme

/ (ˈspaɪriːm) /

noun

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

Word Origin for spireme

C19: from Greek speirēma a coil, from speira a coil, spire ²

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