chromosome
UK /ˈkɹəʊ.məˌsəʊm/ · US /ˈkɹoʊməˌsoʊm/ noun
Forms chromosomes
- noun (cytology, genetics) A linear arrangement of condensed DNA and associated proteins (such as chaperone proteins) which contains the genetic material (genome) of an organism. “Chromosomes store genetic information.”
Etymology
19th century: from German Chromosom, ultimately from Ancient Greek χρῶμα (khrôma, “colour”) + σῶμα (sôma, “body”) (because they are stained under the microscope). Equivalent to chromo- + -some.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “chromosome”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details