The sex chromosome that is paired with an X-chromosome in males. Most of the genes on the X-chromosome determine physical attributes associated with males, such as the development of testes.
See more at sex chromosome See Note at sex
First recorded in 1920–25
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Based on the results, we can proceed with analysis of Y chromosome fragments for comparison with current descendants."
From Science Daily ● May 4, 2026
"While the direct evidence of physical advantage in transgender people is pretty strong, the evidence of advantage for those with DSD, even though they have a Y chromosome, is highly disputed."
From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2026
Advances in genetic detection have revealed that Y chromosome loss is widespread in older men.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 20, 2026
In laboratory settings, cells can lose the Y chromosome and still survive, which reinforced the idea that it is not essential for basic cellular function.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 20, 2026
The X chromosome in the male is represented by an open bar, the Y chromosome is bent.
From A Critique of the Theory of Evolution by Morgan, Thomas Hunt
We then compared the Y-chromosome and mitochondrial DNA, which track the male and female lines of descent, respectively.
From Science Daily ● May 30, 2026
What Dr Mazanec was looking for was a match with the DNA from the Y-chromosome, which is passed through the male line, from son to son.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2023
The 2015 study uploaded Roma DNA to the Y-STR Haplotype Reference Database, or YHRD, a searchable worldwide collection of anonymous Y-chromosome profiles that has become a crucial and contested tool helping police solve crimes.
From New York Times ● Nov. 17, 2021
Because Sitting Bull only had daughters, researchers couldn’t trace the lock’s lineage using mitochondrial DNA, which is passed down from mother to daughter, or Y-chromosome DNA, which follows the male line.
From Science Magazine ● Oct. 26, 2021
"The only thing that puzzles me," Kennon went on, "is how you managed to eliminate the Y-chromosome carriers within the sperm."
From The Lani People by Bone, Jesse F. (Jesse Franklin)
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.
