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Y chromosome

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Y-chromosome

English

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 Y chromosome on Wikipedia

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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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.[1]

Noun

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Y chromosome (plural Y chromosomes)

  1. (genetics) A mammalian sex chromosome, occurring only in male cells. Cells of females have a pair of X chromosomes while cells of males have an X and a Y.
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Translations

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References

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  1. ^ David Bainbridge, The X in Sex: How the X Chromosome Controls Our Lives, pages 65-66, →ISBN.