zygotene

[ zahy-guh-teen, zig-uh- ]

/ ˈzaɪ gəˌtin, ˈzɪg ə- /

noun Cell Biology.

the second stage of prophase in meiosis, during which strands of homologous chromosomes line up and become pairs.

Nearby words

zygosis, zygosity, zygosporangium, zygospore, zygote, zygotene, zygotic, zymase, zyme, zymo-, zymodeme

Origin of zygotene

1925–30; < French zygotène; see zygo-, -tene

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for zygotene

zygotene

/ (ˈzaɪɡəˌtiːn, ˈzɪɡ-) /

noun

the second stage of the prophase of meiosis, during which homologous chromosomes become associated in pairs (bivalents)

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

Medicine definitions for zygotene

zygotene

[ zī′gə-tēn′ ]

n.

The stage of meiotic prophase during which the precise point-for-point pairing of the homologous chromosomes begins.zygonema