gene

noun

ˈjēn 

plural genes

: 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

Examples of gene in a Sentence

She inherited a good set of genes from her parents.

Recent Examples on the Web

That sophisticated testing is used to offer treatments tailored to an individual’s specific genes. —Harriet Blair Rowan, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024

Others still get satisfaction from passing on their genes. —John Otis, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024

SNPs are often found in between genes and signal common types of genetic commonalities among particular groups of related people. —Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Mar. 2024

And as their genes started to mix ― thanks to our friends the honey bees ― the fruit set started, the seedlings popped up, and the spread started to grow. —Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 22 Mar. 2024

So, the big difference with this pig is that its genes have been edited. —Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2024

Aside from these relatively rare psychological phenomena is a simpler account of the twin stranger trope, one ingrained in our genes. —Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 19 Mar. 2024

Madigan was an artist (creative genes run in the family: Khodara is a singer and musician, while Fuller Marroquin is a landscape architect) and her photographic floral prints were the inspiration for a four-piece collection dubbed the Martha Madigan x Lafayette 148 Capsule Collection. —Vogue, 14 Mar. 2024

This particular plant glows because of a cluster of five genes, some of which scientists borrowed from the bioluminescent fungus Neonothopanus nambi. —Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 19 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing gene

• gene conversion
• gene editing
• gene flow
• gene frequency
• gene mutation
• gene pool
• gene-splicing
• gene therapy
• lethal gene
• regulator gene
• regulatory gene
• structural gene
• tumor suppressor gene

Kids Definition

gene

noun

ˈjēn 

: a part of DNA or sometimes RNA that is usually located on a chromosome and that contains chemical information needed to make a particular protein (as an enzyme) controlling or influencing an inherited bodily trait or activity (as eye color or metabolism) or that influences or controls the activity of another gene or genes

Medical Definition

gene

noun

ˈjēn 

: 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

called also determinant, determiner, factor