leptotene

[ lep-tuh-teen ]
/ ˈlɛp təˌtin /

noun Cell Biology.

a stage of cell division during the prophase of meiosis, in which the chromosomes are not distinct but appear as a mass of entangled threads.

Origin of leptotene

< French leptotène (1900); see lepto-, -tene

Words nearby leptotene

leptospira, leptospiral jaundice, leptospirosis, leptospiruria, leptosporangiate, leptotene, leptotrichia, leptotrombidium, leptotrombidium akamushi, lepus, lequear

British Dictionary definitions for leptotene

leptotene
/ (ˈlɛptəʊˌtiːn) /

noun

the first stage of the prophase of meiosis during which the nuclear material becomes resolved into slender single-stranded chromosomes

Word Origin for leptotene

C20: from lepto- + -tene, from Greek tainia band, filament

Medical definitions for leptotene

leptotene
[ lĕp′tə-tēn′ ]

n.

The early stage of prophase in meiosis in which the replicated chromosomes contract and become visible as long filaments well separated from one another.