synapsis
Americannoun
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synapses
plural
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Also called syndesis. Cell Biology. the pairing of homologous chromosomes, one from each parent, during early meiosis.
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Physiology. synapse.
noun
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cytology the association in pairs of homologous chromosomes at the start of meiosis
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another word for synapse
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of synapsis
1645–55; < New Latin < Greek sýnapsis “junction,” equivalent to synap- (stem of synáptein “to make contact,” equivalent to syn- syn- + (h)áptein “to touch”) + -sis -sis
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:
This photocurrent mimics the responses transmitted by synapsis in the human brain, enabling the device to interpret and process biological information received from optical sensors.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 11, 2024
Scientists thought chiasmata were a variation on synapsis and could not understand how chromosomes could break and rejoin.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
Misaligned or incomplete synapsis, or a dysfunction of the spindle apparatus that facilitates chromosome migration, can cause nondisjunction.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
The tight pairing of the homologous chromosomes is called synapsis.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
Possibly his experience with the bounty hunter Phil Resch had altered some minute synapsis in him, had closed one neurological switch and opened another.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
The new framework proposes that the brain learns these recurring patterns and stores them within networks of synapses.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 18, 2026
Because physical remodeling of brain synapses generally takes longer, the scientists concluded that rapamycin was changing brain function rather than rebuilding the brain's underlying structure.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
Neurons communicate through two main types of synapses: chemical and electrical.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
The researchers hope the discovery will help identify medication that can prevent the loss of synapses - the vital connections that allow messages to flow between brain cells and support healthy brain function.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
“This is very good,” I said, half a minute or so later, just as the first euphoric sparkle was starting to hit my synapses.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
