genome

noun ge·nome \ ˈjē-ˌnōm \

|Updated on: 5 Aug 2018

Definition of genome

: one haploid set of chromosomes with the genes they contain; broadly : the genetic material of an organism — compare proteome

Recent Examples of genome from the Web

Frequently, such SNPs are not even in the bits of the genome that directly encode proteins.

— The Economist, "A big collaboration is trying to understand diseases of the psyche," 28 June 2018
By Adam Rutherford In witty, trenchant prose, Rutherford lays out the complexity of the genome and the wonder of possibilities buried within it.

— sarah mupo, STAT, "The 39 best health and science books to read this summer," 25 June 2018
Those comparisons are based on non-coding portions of the genome, the same kind of arrays found in criminal databases.

— megan molteni, WIRED, "Family DNA Testing at the Border Would Be an Ethical Quagmire," 22 June 2018
The problem is that somewhere between 94 and 96% of the reference genomes in use come from patients of northern European descent.

— tarpley hitt, miamiherald, "New rapid genetic sequencing saved this baby. Now, the test is coming to Miami | Miami Herald," 30 Apr. 2018
Another way to dope an athlete's genes is through CRISPR, or CRISPR-Cas9, a technique that allows geneticists to edit specific parts of a person's genome by removing or altering sections of DNA -- also known as gene editing.

— nick busca, CNN, "The new frontier of doping will modify athletes' DNA," 13 Apr. 2018
This growing database of genomes, combined with advances in big data and artificial intelligence, allows researchers to screen entire communities through DNA left in their environments (eDNA), establishing non-invasive means of tracking species.

— nishan degnarain, Fortune, "Commentary: These Technologies Could Save the Northern White Rhino From Extinction," 20 Mar. 2018
Further analysis of the CTVT genome shows that the founder dog lived up to 8,225 years ago.

— deborah netburn, latimes.com, "North America's first dogs were domesticated in Siberia, but their descendants are all gone," 5 July 2018
Less than 4 percent of the genome of modern American dogs can be traced back to those that lived before the Europeans came, the study found.

— Washington Post, "Study provides clues to fate of early North American dogs," 5 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'genome.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of genome

German Genom, from Gen gene + -om (as in Chromosom chromosome)

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1926

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Genetics Terms

chimera, hermaphrodite, plasticity

Medical Dictionary

genome

noun ge·nome \ ˈjē-ˌnōm \

medical Definition of genome

: one haploid set of chromosomes with the genes they contain; broadly : the genetic material of an organism

The idea behind sequencing an organism's genome—decoding, letter by letter, the message contained in every last one of its genes—is that it would tell us a lot about how the organism works.
—Lori Oliwenstein, Discover, January 1996