locus

noun

lo·​cus ˈlō-kəs How to pronounce locus (audio)
plural loci ˈlō-ˌsī How to pronounce locus (audio)
-ˌkī,
-ˌkē
1
a
: the place where something is situated or occurs : site, location
was the culture of medicine in the beginning dispersed from a single focus or did it arise in several loci?S. C. Harvey
b
: a center of activity, attention, or concentration
in democracy the locus of power is in the peopleH. G. Rickover
2
: the set of all points whose location is determined by stated conditions
3
: the position in a chromosome of a particular gene or allele

Examples of locus in a Sentence

The area became a locus of resistance to the government. an area of the Southwest that has been the locus of a number of New Agey movements
Recent Examples on the Web The sublime concert and subsequent applause reverberated throughout the circular locus, a moving finale after which guests flowed out to Fifth Avenue with art and music on their minds. Zachary Schwartz, Vogue, 16 Nov. 2023 As Snowman sees it, the lighthouse was an underappreciated hero of the Revolutionary War—a locus of resistance against British tyranny. Dorothy Wickenden, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023 Following Julius Caesar’s murder in 44 B.C.E., the Roman emperor Augustus condemned the scene of the crime as a locus sceleratus, a cursed place. Christopher Parker, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 June 2023 What was the locus of community for you, growing up? Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2023 The museum and its arts school, the Corcoran College of Art + Design, were a locus of D.C. cultural life, patronized by presidents and the city’s political elite, and engaged with critical social and artistic currents, including the culture wars of the 1980s and ’90s. Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 22 Sep. 2023 There is nothing by Richard Diebenkorn, Ed Ruscha or Wayne Thiebaud, artists associated with California — a coequal locus of creativity to New York and the East Coast — who project a sensibility distinctly different from that cultivated in New York. Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2023 As a result, the northeast San Fernando Valley has become as important a locus of Latino political power as the Eastside. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2023 The house, known as the Dickinson Homestead, and its contents—every sherry glass, quilt, and doll’s slipper—were the locus of her imagination. Martha Ackmann, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'locus.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin — more at stall

First Known Use

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of locus was in 1648

Dictionary Entries Near locus

Cite this Entry

“Locus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/locus. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

locus

noun
lo·​cus ˈlō-kəs How to pronounce locus (audio)
plural loci ˈlō-ˌsī How to pronounce locus (audio)
-ˌkī,
-ˌkē
1
2
: the set of all points whose location is determined by stated conditions
3
: the position in a chromosome of a particular gene or allele

Medical Definition

locus

noun
lo·​cus ˈlō-kəs How to pronounce locus (audio)
plural loci
ˈlō-ˌsī, -ˌkī also -ˌkē
1
: a place or site of an event, activity, or thing
the integrity of the tissues determines the extent and locus of the damageSylvia E. Hines
2
: the position in a chromosome of a particular gene or allele

Legal Definition

locus

noun
lo·​cus ˈlō-kəs How to pronounce locus (audio)
: the place connected with a particular event having legal significance

More from Merriam-Webster on locus

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