Y chromosome

See also: Y-chromosome

English

Alternative forms

• Y-chromosome

Etymology

Named by Nettie Stevens in 1905 using the next letter in sequence following the naming by Hermann Henking in 1890 of the X chromosome. The brief resemblance in the appearance of the X and Y chromosomes to the letters "X" and "Y" respectively during cell division is entirely coincidental.

Noun

Y chromosome (plural Y chromosomes)

1. (genetics) A mammalian sex chromosome, occurring only in male cells. Cells of females have a pair of X chromosomes while cells of males have an X and a Y.

Related terms

• X chromosome

Translations

mammalian sex chromosome

• Finnish: Y-kromosomi (fi)
• French: chromosome Y (fr) m
• German: Y-Chromosom (de) n
• Icelandic: Y-litningur m
• Irish: Y-chrómasóm m
• Romanian: cromozom Y m
• Swedish: Y-kromosom (sv) c