chromosome
noun
Examples of chromosome in a Sentence
William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Astonishingly, 37 of them — nearly two thirds — harbored cells with Y chromosomes, which are only present in males.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 14 Feb. 2024
Meanwhile, others have hypothesized that chromosomes could be part of the explanation.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Feb. 2024
One is that two chromosomes found in chimpanzees and other apes have fused to form a single larger chromosome in the human lineage.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 1 Sep. 2023
Down Syndrome is a condition caused by an extra partial or full chromosome.
—Aj Willingham, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024
Every life is a gift, including those that come with an extra chromosome.
—Jeanne Mancini, National Review, 21 Mar. 2024
In addition, there are simply fewer chromosomes around in total in small populations, which limits the potential for diversity.
—John Timmer, Ars Technica, 1 Sep. 2023
The majority of embryos implanted by IVF don’t develop into babies, often due to chromosome or genetic defects.
—Daniel Gilbert, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chromosome.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
borrowed from German Chromosom, from chromo- chromo- + -som -some entry 3
Note: The term Chromosom was first suggested by the German anatomist Heinrich Wilhelm Gottfried von Waldeyer-Hartz in "Ueber Karyokinese und ihre Beziehungen zu den Befruchtungsvorgängen," Archiv für mikroskopische Anatomie, Band 23 (1888), p. 27: "In ester Linier möchte ich mir jedoch den Vorschlag erlauben, diejenigen Dinge, welche soeben mit Boveri als 'chromatische Elemente' bezeichnet wurden, an denen sich einer der wichtigsten Akten der Karyokinese, die Flemming'sche Längsteilung vollzieht, mit einem besonderen terminus technicus 'Chromosomen' zu belegen. Der Name 'primäre Schleifen' passt nicht, da wir bei weitem nicht immer eine Schleifenform für diese Dinge haben. 'Chromatische Elemente' ist zu lang. Andererseits sind sie so wichtig, dass ein besonderer kürzerer Name wünschenswerth erscheint. Plattne … gebraucht den Ausdruck 'Karyosomen'; da dieser aber zu sehr an Kernkörperchen erinnert, dürfte eine andere Bezeichnung vorzuziehen sein. Ist die von mir vorgeschlagene praktisch verwendbar, so wird sie sich wohl einbürgern, sonst möge sie bald der Vergessenheit anheimfallen." ("In the first place I must allow myself to suggest a new technical term, 'chromosomes,' for those things which have been designated by Boveri 'chromatic elements,' at which one of the most important acts of karyokinesis, Flemming's longitudinal splitting, is carried out. The name 'primary loops' is not suitable, since it is by no means the case that these things always have the form of a loop. 'Chromatic elements' is too long. On the other hand, they are so important that a special shorter name seems desirable. Plattner uses the expression 'karyosomes,' but as this too readily brings to mind nucleoli, another name is to be preferred. If the name I propose is serviceable, it will become customary, otherwise it will soon pass into oblivion.")
1889, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing chromosome
Dictionary Entries Near chromosome
Cite this Entry
“Chromosome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chromosome. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
chromosome
noun
Medical Definition
chromosome
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on chromosome
Nglish: Translation of chromosome for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of chromosome for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chromosome
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