sex chromosome

sex chromosome

n.

Either of a pair of chromosomes, usually designated X or Y, in the germ cells of most animals and some plants, that combine to determine the sex and sex-linked characteristics of an individual, with XX resulting in a female and XY in a male in mammals.

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sex chromosome

Noun

either of the chromosomes that determine the sex of an animal

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sex chromosome

Either of a pair of chromosomes, usually called X and Y, that in combination determine the sex of an individual in many animals and in some plants. In mammals, XX results in a female and XY in a male, while the opposite is true in birds (where the designations ZW for female and ZZ for male are often used). Sex chromosomes carry the genes that control the development of reproductive organs and secondary sex characteristics. In some organisms, sex is determined by environmental influences. See also X-chromosomeY-chromosome

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

sex chromosome - (genetics) a chromosome that determines the sex of an individual; "mammals normally have two sex chromosomes" 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" X chromosome - the sex chromosome that is present in both sexes: singly in males and doubly in females; "human females normally have two X chromosomes" XX - (genetics) normal complement of sex chromosomes in a female XXX - (genetics) abnormal complement of three X chromosomes in a female XXY - (genetics) abnormal complement of sex hormones in a male resulting in Klinefelter's syndrome XY - (genetics) normal complement of sex hormones in a male XYY - (genetics) abnormal complement of sex hormones in a male who has two Y chromosomes Y chromosome - the sex chromosome that is carried by men; "human males normally have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome" genetic science, genetics - the branch of biology that studies heredity and variation in organisms