| Noun | 1. | chromosome - a threadlike strand of DNA in the cell nucleus that carries the genes in a linear order; "humans have 22 chromosome pairs plus two sex chromosomes"cell nucleus, karyon, nucleus - a part of the cell containing DNA and RNA and responsible for growth and reproduction nucleolar organiser, nucleolar organizer, nucleolus organiser, nucleolus organizer - the particular part of a chromosome that is associated with a nucleolus after nuclear division chromatin, chromatin granule - the readily stainable substance of a cell nucleus consisting of DNA and RNA and various proteins; during mitotic division it condenses into chromosomes cistron, gene, factor - (genetics) a segment of DNA that is involved in producing a polypeptide chain; it can include regions preceding and following the coding DNA as well as introns between the exons; it is considered a unit of heredity; "genes were formerly called factors" sex chromosome - (genetics) a chromosome that determines the sex of an individual; "mammals normally have two sex chromosomes" autosome, somatic chromosome - any chromosome that is not a sex chromosome; appear in pairs in body cells but as single chromosomes in spermatozoa chromatid - one of two identical strands into which a chromosome splits during mitosis centromere, kinetochore - a specialized condensed region of each chromosome that appears during mitosis where the chromatids are held together to form an X shape; "the centromere is difficult to sequence" acentric chromosome - a chromosome lacking a centromere acrocentric chromosome - a chromosome with the centromere near one end so that one chromosomal arm is short and one is long metacentric chromosome - a chromosome having two equal arms because the centromere is in median position telocentric chromosome - a chromosome like a straight rod with the centromere in terminal position telomere - either (free) end of a eukaryotic chromosome; "telomeres act as caps to keep the sticky ends of chromosomes from randomly clumping together" body - an individual 3-dimensional object that has mass and that is distinguishable from other objects; "heavenly body" |