chromosome

10 ENTRIES FOUND:

chro·mo·some

noun \ˈkrō-mə-ˌsōm, -ˌzōm\

Definition of CHROMOSOME

: any of the usually linear bodies of the cell nucleus of eukaryotic organisms, the usually circular bodies of prokaryotic organisms (as bacteria), or especially in some schools of molecular biology the genomes of DNA viruses (as bacteriophages) that take up basophilic stains and contain most or all of the genes of the organism <both the chromosomes of cells and those of viruses can duplicate only in the complex environment of a living cell—J. D. Watson> <an episome, an element that may exist as a free circular plasmid, or that may become integrated into the bacterial chromosome as a linear sequence—Benjamin Lewin>
chro·mo·som·al \ˌkrō-mə-ˈsō-məl, -ˈzō-\ adjective
chro·mo·som·al·ly \-mə-lē\ adverb

Illustration of CHROMOSOME

Test Your Vocabulary

Take Our 10-Question Quiz

Name That Thing

Take our visual vocab quiz

Test Your Knowledge »

True or False?

A quick quiz about stuff worth knowing

Take It Now »

Join Us on FB & Twitter

Get the Word of the Day and More

Facebook | Twitter

Get Our Free Apps

Voice Search, Favorites,
Word of the Day, and More

iPhone | iPad | Android | More