Main Entry:

gene

Pronunciation:

\ˈjēn\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

German Genesis, short for Pangen, from pan- + -gen

Date:

1911

: a specific sequence of nucleotides in DNA or RNA that is located usually on a chromosome and that is the functional unit of inheritance controlling the transmission and expression of one or more traits by specifying the structure of a particular polypeptide and especially a protein or controlling the function of other genetic material