chromosome

[ kroh-muh-sohm ]
/ ˈkroʊ məˌsoʊm /

noun Genetics.

any of several threadlike bodies, consisting of chromatin, that carry the genes in a linear order: the human species has 23 pairs, designated 1 to 22 in order of decreasing size and X and Y for the female and male sex chromosomes respectively.

Origin of chromosome

First recorded in 1885–90; chromo- + -some3

OTHER WORDS FROM chromosome

Words nearby chromosome

chromosomal instability syndrome, chromosomal map, chromosomal region, chromosomal syndrome, chromosomal trait, chromosome, chromosome aberration, chromosome band, chromosome map, chromosome mapping, chromosome number

Words related to chromosomes

heredity, RNA, gene

Example sentences from the Web for chromosomes

British Dictionary definitions for chromosomes

chromosome
/ (ˈkrəʊməˌsəʊm) /

noun

any of the microscopic rod-shaped structures that appear in a cell nucleus during cell division, consisting of nucleoprotein arranged into units (genes) that are responsible for the transmission of hereditary characteristics See also homologous chromosomes

Derived forms of chromosome

chromosomal, adjective chromosomally, adverb

Medical definitions for chromosomes

chromosome
[ krō′mə-sōm′ ]

n.

A threadlike linear strand of DNA and associated proteins in the nucleus of animal and plant cells that carries the genes and functions in the transmission of hereditary information.
A circular strand of DNA in bacteria and cyanobacteria that contains the hereditary information necessary for cell life.

Other words from chromosome

chro′mo•so′mal (-sō′məl) null adj.

Scientific definitions for chromosomes

chromosome
[ krō′mə-sōm′ ]

A structure in all living cells that consists of a single molecule of DNA bonded to various proteins and that carries the genes determining heredity. In all eukaryotic cells, the chromosomes occur as threadlike strands in the nucleus. During cell reproduction, these strands coil up and condense into much thicker structures that are easily viewed under a microscope. Chromosomes occur in pairs in all of the cells of eukaryotes except the reproductive cells, which have one of each chromosome, and some red blood cells (such as those of mammals) that expel their nuclei. In bacterial cells and other prokaryotes, which have no nucleus, the chromosome is a circular strand of DNA located in the cytoplasm.

Cultural definitions for chromosomes

chromosomes
[ (kroh-muh-sohmz) ]

The small bodies in the nucleus of a cell that carry the chemical “instructions” for reproduction of the cell. They consist of strands of DNA wrapped in a double helix around a core of proteins. Each species of plant or animal has a characteristic number of chromosomes. For human beings, for example, it is forty-six.

notes for chromosomes

In humans, sex is determined by two chromosomes: an X-chromosome, which is female, and a Y-chromosome, which is male. ( See sex chromosomes.)