genome

noun

ge·​nome ˈjē-ˌnōm 

: one haploid set of chromosomes with the genes they contain

broadly : the genetic material of an organism compare proteome

Examples of genome in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But these sequences were reintroduced to the human genome later in our history, so recombination should be far less frequent relative to a genome that’s been in the modern human lineage the whole time. — ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026

The nearly identical genomes suggest that the two people, who lived sometime between 1492 and 1631, were infected during the same outbreak or by the same strain that was circulating through the region at the time. — Sam MacDonald, Scientific American, 30 July 2026

This combination gave the Institute the ability to handle highly complex genomic workloads, including species with extremely large genomes that would previously have been difficult to process efficiently. — Hayley Tabor, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

The genomes have been added to a database where any researcher can access and study the ciliate sequences. — Marlowe Starling, Quanta Magazine, 27 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing genome

• genome editing

Rhymes for genome

• biome
• nichrome
• noisome
• prodrome
• radome
• rhizome
• shalom
• syndrome
• acrosome
• aerodrome
• catacomb
• centrosome

Medical Definition

genome

noun

ge·​nome ˈjē-ˌnōm 

: 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