spireme

[ spahy-reem ]
/ ˈspaɪ rim /

noun Cell Biology.

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

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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, spirillar, spirillum, spirillum minus
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for spireme

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