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chromosome

noun

  1. structure composed of a very long molecule of DNA and associated proteins (e.g. histones) that carries hereditary information
L30507 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈkɹəʊ.məˌsəʊm/ / /ˈkɹoʊməˌsoʊm/ / /ˈkɹoʊməˌzoʊm/

noun

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.

  1. 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.

    A length of DNA is divided into segments called chromosomes and shorter individual units called genes.