Science & TechnologyGreek → English
Chromosome
A thread-like structure of DNA carrying genetic information.
The Greek roots
χρῶμα
chrôma
colour
σῶμα
sôma
body
Literally: “coloured body”
The story of the word
Named 'coloured bodies' because they take up dye readily and show up under the microscope.
The same roots elsewhere
Other languages reached for exactly the same Greek pieces.
In a sentence
Humans carry twenty-three pairs of chromosomes.