Holliday junction

noun

A junction between four strands of DNA. They are a key intermediate in many types of genetic recombination, as well as in double-strand break repair.

Similar
cruciform
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Meanings

nounHolliday junction (plural Holliday junctions)

plural Holliday junctions

  1. biologyA junction between four strands of DNA. They are a key intermediate in many types of genetic recombination, as well as in double-strand break repair.

    Synonyms: cruciform

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA junction between four strands of DNA. They are a key intermediate in many types of genetic recombination, as well as in double-strand break repair.

Similar
cruciform

Origin

Named after British molecular biologist Robin Holliday (1932–2014), who proposed it in 1964 to account for homologous recombination in Ustilago maydis.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Holliday junction. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Holliday%20junction

MLA

“Holliday junction.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Holliday%20junction. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Holliday junction,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Holliday%20junction.

Source: Holliday junction on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.