autosome

noun

au·​to·​some ˈȯ-tə-ˌsōm 

: a chromosome other than a sex chromosome

Examples of autosome in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The concentration levels of autosomes in the human cell tend to be much lower than those of the mitochondria, and so Li and Austin were able to obtain only 50,000 SNPs, of which 16,000 were usable. —IEEE Spectrum, 20 Mar. 2023

Law enforcement also tested 20 or so genetic markers from autosomes—nonsex chromosomes, which are inherited from both parents. —Allysia Finley, WSJ, 15 Feb. 2019

Michael Eisen pointed out on Twitter that my use of the law of segregation to compute the probability of inheritance from a single grandparent (50% of the autosome vs. 25% as expected) is misleading. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 19 Oct. 2013

Word History

Etymology

auto- + -some entry 3

Note: The term was introduced by the American zoologist Thomas Harrington Montgomery, Jr. (1873-1912) in "The terminology of aberrant chromosomes and their behavior in certain Hemiptera," Science, new series vol. 33, no. 575 (January 5, 1906), pp. 36-38.

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

autosome

noun

au·​to·​some ˈȯt-ə-ˌsōm 

: a chromosome other than a sex chromosome

called also nonsex chromosome

compare allosome

autosomal

ˌȯt-ə-ˈsō-məl 

adjective

autosomally

-mə-lē 

adverb