English Explanatory Dictionary

gene

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A theoretical unit of heredity of living organisms which may take several values and (in principle) predetermines a precise trait of an organism's form (phenotype), such as hair color.
  2. A segment of DNA or RNA from a cell's or an organism's genome, that may take several forms and thus parameterizes a phenomenon, such as (often) the structure of a protein.
name
  1. A unisex given name.
  2. A diminutive of the male given name Eugene, also used as a formal male given name.
  3. A female given name, used as a formal female given name.
  4. A diminutive of the female given name Genevieve
  5. A diminutive of the female given name Eugenia
  6. A surname

Pronunciation

jēn /d͡ʒiːn/ En-us-gene.ogg /ˈd͡ʒiːn/

Word forms

gene genes

Etymology

From German Gen, from Ancient Greek γενεά (geneá, “generation, descent”), from the aorist infinitive of γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “to come into being”). Coined by Danish botanist Wilhelm Ludwig Johannsen in 1909, in a German-language publication, from the last syllable of pangene.

Synonyms

cistron

Related words

allele locus dominant recessive

Derived words

algeny Angelina Jolie gene antigene aristogene atrogene cene cisgene control gene cream gene cytogene eigengene electrochemogene electrogene endogene gene-altered gene bank gene cassette genechip gene complex gene drive gene-engineered gene expression gene family gene flow geneflow gene frequency gene gun geneless genelet genelike gene-manipulated gene-modified gene-napper gene pool gene product generich geneset gene silencing gene splicing genet gene therapy genetic geneticist genetics gene transcription gene transfer gene trap genewise genic genism genome genometastasis genomics gerontogene glycogene histocompatibility gene homeobox gene horizontal gene transfer hox gene immunogene
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