X chromosome

Save This Word!

See synonyms for X chromosome on Thesaurus.com

noun Genetics.

a sex chromosome of humans and most mammals that determines femaleness when paired with another X chromosome and that occurs singly in males.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Compare Y chromosome.

Origin of X chromosome

First recorded in 1910–15

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use X chromosome in a sentence

An x-ray two hours later confirms my hunch: my tibia (the big bone behind the shin) is snapped clean in two.
You’re Never ‘Cured’ of an Eating Disorder|Carrie Arnold|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Getting out of X band is on option,” said one senior Air Force official.
Pentagon Worries That Russia Can Now Outshoot U.S. Stealth Jets|Dave Majumdar|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I made experimental commercials in the experimental division of a production house, Film X, that made commercials for ad agencies.
The Renegade: Robert Downey Sr. on His Classic Films, Son’s Battle with Drugs, and Bill Cosby|Marlow Stern|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In fact, both brothers have acting IMDb credits: Drew on Smallville and Jonathan on The X-Files.
How the Property Brothers Became Your Mom’s Favorite TV Stars|Kevin Fallon|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A bunch of old, white, rock titans come together with young, white, X Factor hotties to persuade Britain to heal Africa.
Do They Know It’s Time to Stop Band Aid?|Tom Sykes|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He thought they were now in touch with our troops at "X" but that they had been through some hard fighting to get there.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
W was a Watchman, and guarded the door; X was expensive, and so became poor.
Boys and Girls Bookshelf; a Practical Plan of Character Building, Volume I (of 17)|Various
Idly his pen traced upon the paper in front of him a large X, the sign of the unknown quantity.
Uncanny Tales|Various
The Professor took his pen and wrote a large X upon the sheet of paper in front of him.
Uncanny Tales|Various
Messrs. X and Z had specially engaged two eminent organists to play for them.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller

British Dictionary definitions for X chromosome

X-chromosome

noun

the sex chromosome that occurs in pairs in the diploid cells of the females of many animals, including humans, and as one of a pair with the Y-chromosome in those of malesCompare Y-chromosome

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

Medical definitions for X chromosome

X-chromosome

The sex chromosome associated with female characteristics, occurring paired in the female and singly in the male sex-chromosome pair.

Scientific definitions for X chromosome

X-chromosome

[ ĕks′krō′mə-sōm′ ]

The sex chromosome that in female mammals is paired with another X-chromosome and in males is paired with a Y-chromosome. Very few genes on the X-chromosome have counterparts on the Y-chromosome, and since males have only one X-chromosome, any gene present on it (even if the gene is recessive in females) is expressed in males. In females, one of the two X-chromosomes in each cell is deactivated. See more at sex chromosome. See note at sex.