acrocentric

[ ak-ruh-sen-trik ]

adjective

, Genetics.

1. of or relating to any chromosome or chromatid whose centromere is closer to one end than to the other, creating two unequal chromosome arms. Compare acentric ( def 2 ), metacentric ( def 2 ), telocentric.

acrocentric

/ ˌækrəʊˈsɛntrɪk /

adjective

1. (of a chromosome) having the centromere at one end

noun

1. an acrocentric chromosome

Word History and Origins

Origin of acrocentric¹

First recorded in 1940–45; acro- + -centric

Example Sentences

As expected, regions with the highest nucleotide differentiation between European and Asian wild boars were observed in high recombination regions towards the end of the chromosomes on both metacentric and acrocentric chromosomes.

From Nature