gene
EnglishEdit
EtymologyEdit
From German Gen, from Ancient Greek γενεά (geneá, “generation, descent”), from the aorist infinitive of γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “I come into being”). Coined by the Danish biologist Wilhelm Ludvig Johannsen in a German-language publication, from the last syllable of pangene.[1]
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
gene (plural genes)
- (genetics) A theoretical unit of heredity of living organisms; a gene may take several values and in principle predetermines a precise trait of an organism's form (phenotype), such as hair color.
- Coordinate term: cistron
- 2013 June 21, Karen McVeigh, “US rules human genes can't be patented”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 10:
- The US supreme court has ruled unanimously that natural human genes cannot be patented, a decision that scientists and civil rights campaigners said removed a major barrier to patient care and medical innovation.
- (molecular biology) A segment of DNA or RNA from a cell's or an organism's genome, that may take several forms and thus parameterizes a phenomenon, in general the structure of a protein; locus.
- 2019, Bill Bryson, The Body: A Guide for Occupants, Black Swan (2020), page 7:
- A length of DNA is divided into segments called chromosomes and shorter individual units called genes.
- A change in a gene is reflected in the protein or RNA molecule that it codes for.
Usage notesEdit
In the simplest case and in principle, a gene locus is supposed to be the physical reality corresponding to the theoretical gene unit of heredity; in practice, things are far more complicated and confused, which is well known and acknowledged. However, these questions are the subject of still very active scientific research, as well as the topic of both scientific and philosophical questions, especially on the real compatibility between both senses of the term.
Derived termsEdit
- control gene
- cream gene
- gene bank
- gene cassette
- gene complex
- gene drive
- gene expression
- gene family
- gene flow
- gene frequency
- gene gun
- gene-napper
- gene pool
- gene product
- gene silencing
- gene splicing
- gene-splicing
- gene therapy
- genetic
- geneticist
- genetics
- gene transcription
- gene transfer
- gene trap
- genome
- genotype
- histocompatibility gene
- homeobox gene
- horizontal gene transfer
- hox gene
- jumping gene
- lateral gene transfer
- lethal gene
- marker gene
- oligogene
- pseudogene
- selfish gene
- suicide gene
- toll gene
- X-linked gene
Related termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
unit of heredity
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See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
- ^ Wilhelm Ludvig Johannsen (1909) Elemente der exakten Erblichkeitslehre [Elements of exact heredity][1] (in German), Jena: Gustav Fischer, page 124: “Darum scheint es am einfachsten, aus Darwin's[sic] bekanntem Wort die uns allein interessierende letzte Silbe „Gen“ isoliert zu verwerten, um damit das schlechte, mehrdeutige Wort „Anlage“ zu ersetzen.”
Further readingEdit
AnagramsEdit
DanishEdit
EtymologyEdit
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
gene c (singular definite genen, plural indefinite gener)
- inconvenience, nuisance (something that bothers)
- Røgen fra skorstenen er til gene for naboerne.
- The smoke from the chimney is bothering the neighbours.
DeclensionEdit
Declension of gene
ReferencesEdit
- “gene” in Den Danske Ordbog
DutchEdit
PronunciationEdit
AdjectiveEdit
gene
AnagramsEdit
ItalianEdit
PronunciationEdit
Etymology 1Edit
NounEdit
gene m (plural geni)
Related termsEdit
Etymology 2Edit
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
NounEdit
gene f pl
Middle DutchEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Old Dutch *gēn, from Proto-Germanic *jainaz.
PronunciationEdit
DeterminerEdit
gêne
DescendantsEdit
- Dutch: geen
Further readingEdit
- “ghene (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
- Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “gene”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN
PortugueseEdit
PronunciationEdit
- Hyphenation: ge‧ne
NounEdit
gene m (plural genes)
Related termsEdit
Further readingEdit
- “gene” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.
RomanianEdit
PronunciationEdit
Etymology 1Edit
NounEdit
gene f
- inflection of genă:
Etymology 2Edit
NounEdit
gene f
- inflection of geană:
SpanishEdit
NounEdit
gene m (plural genes)
TurkishEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Old Turkic *yana (“again”), from Proto-Turkic *yan- (“to return, turn back”).
Cognates:
AdverbEdit
gene
- (colloquial) again
- Synonym: yine
NounEdit
gene