gene definition - Dictionary

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	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.