Medical Definition of bacterial artificial chromosome
: a genetically engineered bacterial chromosome that is used as a vector to clone DNA segments, that is introduced for cloning into a bacterium (E. coli) where it is maintained as a plasmid, and into which a segment of foreign DNA up to about 300 kilobases in length may be spliced for cloning
—abbreviation BAC
Test Your Vocabulary
Words of Snow and Ice Quiz
- Which of the following refers to thin, bending ice, or to the act of running over such ice?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Anagram puzzles meet word search.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Words of Snow and Ice Quiz
A selection of words from the chillier parts of t...
Take the quizName that Thing: Toys and Games Edition
It's all fun and games until someone beats your h...
Take the quizTrue or False?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something a...
Take the quizSCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!
Play the game
Share bacterial artificial chromosome