genome

[ jee-nohm ]

noun

, Genetics.

1. a full set of chromosomes; all the inheritable traits of an organism.

genome

/ ˈdʒiːnəʊm; dʒɪˈnɒmɪk /

noun

1. the full complement of genetic material within an organism
2. all the genes comprising a haploid set of chromosomes

genome

/ jē′nōm /

1. The total amount of genetic information in the chromosomes of an organism, including its genes and DNA sequences. The genome of eukaryotes is made up of a single, haploid set of chromosomes that is contained in the nucleus of every cell and exists in two copies in all cells except reproductive and red blood cells. The human genome is made up of about 20,000 to 25,000 genes.
2. Compare proteome

genome

1. The sum of all information contained in the DNA for any living thing. The sequence of all the nucleotides in all the chromosomes of an organism.

Derived Forms

• genomic, adjective

Other Words From

• ge·no·mic [ji-, noh, -mik, -, nom, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of genome¹

First recorded in 1925–30; from German Genom, from Gen gene + (Chromos)om chromosome

Word History and Origins

Origin of genome¹

C20: from German Genom, from Gen gene + ( chromos ) ome

Example Sentences

Some sequences in the genome cause genes to be switched on or off.

From Science Daily

Lemon's most recent research endeavor focused on how the virus strategically makes its way into liver cells and takes over the cell's inner machinery to replicate its genome.

From Science Daily

"We're revealing genetic signatures that have been largely erased or masked in present-day genomes."

From Science Daily

Since culturing skin microbiota in the lab is challenging, researchers have traditionally used metagenomic analysis to study them -- an approach that involves extracting the combined genome of all bacteria in a community.

From Science Daily

In a new study, the international collaborators analyzed the genomes of more than 48,000 individual breast cells from women without cancer, using novel techniques for decoding the genes of single cells.

From Science Daily