exon

E1X8O1N1
US/ˈɛksɑn/

noun

An officer of the King's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard.

Similar
coding DNA
Opposite
intron
OriginFrench exempt →
Less commonScrabble 11
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Meanings

exon1

nounexon (plural exons)

plural exons

  1. An officer of the King's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard.

exon2

nounexon (plural exons)

plural exons

  1. biologyA region of a transcribed gene present in the final functional RNA molecule.

Exon3

proper nounExon (plural Exons)

plural Exons

  1. A surname

Synonyms & antonyms

nounsequence of a gene's DNA that transcribes into protein structures

Similar
coding DNA
Opposite
intron
Broader
deoxyribonucleic aciddesoxyribonucleic acidDNA

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

exon · noun

  1. Frenchexempt
  2. Englishexon

Apparently an attempt to express the pronunciation of French exempt.

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →

exon · noun

Combination of the prefix ex of the term expressed (region) and the term intron.

Full word history & related roots →

Exon · proper noun

  1. Medieval LatinExonia
  2. EnglishExon

Clipping of Medieval Latin Exonia (or perhaps its adjective form Exoniensis), the Latin name for Exeter which appears in the Liber Exoniensis (1086), + -an. See also Exonian.

More words from Medieval Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 外顯子 /外显子
  • 外顯子 /外显子 (wàixiǎnzǐ)region of a gene
French exon
  • exonregion of a gene
Hungarian exon
  • exonregion of a gene
Icelandic táknröð
  • táknröðregion of a gene
Italian esone
  • esoneregion of a gene
Korean 엑손
  • 엑손 (ekson)region of a gene
Portuguese éxon, exão
  • éxonregion of a gene
  • exãoregion of a gene
Spanish exón
  • exónregion of a gene
Swedish exon
  • exonregion of a gene

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

oxen
Cite this entry
APA

exon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/exon

MLA

“exon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/exon. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “exon,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/exon.

Source: exon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.