acentric chromosome
- noun
- /ˌeɪˈsɛntrɪk ˈkɹoʊməˌsoʊm/
- Specialized
:
cromosoma acéntrico
- During cell division, an acentric chromosome is often lost because it cannot attach to the spindle apparatus.
Examples
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Researchers identified an acentric chromosome in the sample, which explained the observed genetic instability.
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Genetic mutations can sometimes result in the formation of an acentric chromosome in plant cells.
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An acentric chromosome can lead to genetic instability.
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Many acentric chromosomes are formed during cell division.
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During cell division, an acentric chromosome is often lost because it cannot attach to the spindle apparatus.
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Researchers identified an acentric chromosome in the sample, which explained the observed genetic instability.
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Genetic mutations can sometimes result in the formation of an acentric chromosome in plant cells.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'acentric' denotes lacking a centromere and 'chromosome' denotes the DNA-containing structure, so together they mean a chromosome without a centromere. Although the term is technical and low-frequency, a learner who knows both constituent words can derive the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Acentric chromosome uses the parts a- meaning 'without' and centric meaning 'center', so it names a chromosome missing its central 'anchor', the centromere. Imagine a train car with no hook — it cannot be pulled and is left behind when the cell divides, so an acentric chromosome is often lost.
