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gender identity
gender identity disorder
gender-neutral
gender reassignment
gender role
gender-specific
gendered
-gene
gene
gene amplification
gene chip
gene cloning
gene complex
gene expression
gene family
gene flow
gene frequency
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gene
gene [ jeen ] (plural genes)


noun 
Definition:
 
basic unit of heredity: the basic unit capable of transmitting characteristics from one generation to the next. It consists of a specific sequence of DNA or RNA that occupies a fixed position locus on a chromosome.
[Early 20th century. Via German Gen< Greek genos "birth, race"]

Word History

The Indo-European word from which gene is ultimately derived is also the ancestor of English gender, genealogy, general, generate, generous, genesis, genie, genital, genius, genocide, genre, gentle, genus, gonad, indigenous, ingenuous, innate, jaunty, kin, kind1, nation, and nature.
Encarta® World English Dictionary [North American Edition] © & (P)2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
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