Meanings
nounX chromosome (plural X chromosomes)
plural X chromosomes · alternative X-chromosome
- biologyA mammalian sex chromosome: in the XY sex-determination system, cells of females typically have a pair of X chromosomes, while cells of males typically have an X and a Y.
Origin
Named by Hermann Henking in 1890 from x (signifying the unknown) due to some baffling properties he had observed. 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.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin X染色體 /X染色体
- X染色體 /X染色体 (áikèsī-rǎnsètǐ)a mammalian sex chromosome
Danish X-kromosom
- X-kromosoma mammalian sex chromosome
Dutch X-chromosoom
- X-chromosooma mammalian sex chromosome
Estonian X-kromosoom
- X-kromosooma mammalian sex chromosome
Finnish X-kromosomi
- X-kromosomia mammalian sex chromosome
French chromosome X
- chromosome Xa mammalian sex chromosome
German X-Chromosom
- X-Chromosoma mammalian sex chromosome
Icelandic X-litningur
- X-litningura mammalian sex chromosome
Irish X-chrómasóm
- X-chrómasóma mammalian sex chromosome
Japanese X染色体
- X染色体 (ekkusu senshokutai)a mammalian sex chromosome
Korean X 염색체
- X 염색체 (ekseu yeomsaekche)a mammalian sex chromosome
Polish chromosom X
- chromosom Xa mammalian sex chromosome
Portuguese cromossoma X, cromossomo X
- cromossoma Xa mammalian sex chromosome
- cromossomo Xa mammalian sex chromosome
Romanian cromozom X
- cromozom Xa mammalian sex chromosome
Swedish X-kromosom
- X-kromosoma mammalian sex chromosome
Cite this entry
APA
X chromosome. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/X%20chromosome
MLA
“X chromosome.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/X%20chromosome. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “X chromosome,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/X%20chromosome.
Source: X chromosome on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.