Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for sex chromosome

sex chromosome

[ seks kroh-muh-sohm ]

noun

, Genetics.
  1. a chromosome, differing in shape or function from other chromosomes, that determines the sex of an individual.


sex chromosome

noun

  1. either of the chromosomes determining the sex of animals See also X-chromosome Y-chromosome
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


sex chromosome

  1. 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.
  2. See also X-chromosome


Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of sex chromosome1

First recorded in 1910–15
Discover More

Example Sentences

All the eggs contain what is known as the "X" type of sex chromosome.

This has included sex phenomena since McClung and Sutton pointed out the function of the sex chromosome in 1902 and 1903.

The single-sex chromosome which males possess invariably comes from the mother.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


sex chromatinsex chromosomes