metacentric chromosome
- noun
- Specialized
:
cromosoma metacéntrico
- A metacentric chromosome has its centromere located near the center, creating two arms of similar length.
Examples
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Studying the metacentric chromosome can help scientists understand genetic variations in organisms.
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The X chromosome was the second longest telocentric chromosome, while the Y chromosome was the shortest and only metacentric chromosome.
Academic text (2013) -
In human genetics, the X and Y chromosomes include examples of metacentric chromosome structure.
How Off-center
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a simple adjective + noun composition: 'metacentric' names the specific type (centromere near the center) and 'chromosome' names the structure, so the combined phrase directly denotes a chromosome with a centrally located centromere. The meaning is compositional and follows regular scientific naming patterns found across languages, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Metacentric chromosome names a chromosome whose centromere sits near the center. Imagine a rod pinched in the middle so the two arms are almost the same length. That is why it means a chromosome with arms 'almost the same length'.
