noun
gene
jeen
noun
1
A segment of DNA that carries the instructions for a particular inherited trait.
"A single gene determines eye color in simplified models."
"Scientists identified the gene linked to the disease."
How to Use Gene
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA unit of DNA that passes traits from parents to offspring.
Common pairings
gene pool
gene therapy
faulty gene
Word Forms
genes plural, Genes plural
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A single _____ determines eye color in simplified models.
Etymology
Coined in 1909 by Danish botanist Wilhelm Johannsen, taken from the last part of the earlier word pangene, itself rooted in Greek genea, "generation" or "descent."