Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

centromere

/ˈsɛntɹəˌmiɚ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.75 in modern English

Syllables: cen-tromere
IPA: /ˈsɛntɹəˌmiɚ/

14

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The central region of a eukaryotic chromosome where the kinetochore is assembled.

Example Sentences

"The aberrant bivalents with single terminal chiasmata are specially liable to this failure of orientation, presumably because their centromeres lie exceptionally far apart, as is the case in similar circumstances in a Lilium hybrid with reduced chiasma-frequency."
"Every chromosome has a long arm and a short arm separated by a pinch point known as a centromere."

Etymology

Borrowed from German Centromer, corresponding to centro- + -mere (from Ancient Greek μέρος (méros, “part”)).

Origin

Source language: German

Word Breakdown

Prefix: centro-
Root: Centromer, μέρος
Suffix: -mere

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈsɛntɹəˌmiɚ/
British English: /ˈsɛntɹə(ʊ)mɪə/

Inflected Forms

centromeres (plural)

Derived Forms

anticentromere autocentromere centromeral centromerelike centromeric holocentromere neocentromere pericentromere

Synonyms

kinetochore

Questions

How do you pronounce centromere?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsɛntɹəˌmiɚ/.
What does centromere mean?: The central region of a eukaryotic chromosome where the kinetochore is assembled.
Where does centromere come from?: It is traced to German.

How to pronounce centromere

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “centromere”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈsɛntɹəˌmiɚ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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