English Explanatory Dictionary

Y chromosome

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A mammalian sex chromosome: in the XY sex-determination system, cells of females typically have a pair of X chromosomes, while cells of males typically have an X and a Y.

Word forms

Y chromosome Y chromosomes Y-chromosome

Etymology

Named by Nettie Stevens in 1905 using the next letter in sequence following the naming by Hermann Henking in 1890 of the X chromosome. The brief resemblance in the appearance of the X and Y chromosomes to the letters "X" and "Y" respectively during cell division is entirely coincidental.

Related words

X chromosome
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