Meanings
nounintron (plural introns)
plural introns
- biologyA portion of a split gene that is included in pre-RNA transcripts but is removed during RNA processing and rapidly degraded.
It is a medium-sized gene, then, interrupted by five longish introns.
1999, Matt Ridley, Genome, Harper Perennial, published 2004, page 138
Synonyms & antonyms
nounsequence of a eukaryotic gene's DNA that is not translated into a protein
Similar
noncoding DNA
Opposite
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 内含子
- 内含子 (nèihánzǐ)genetics: portion of a split gene that is included in pre-RNA transcripts but is removed during RNA processing
French intron
- introngenetics: portion of a split gene that is included in pre-RNA transcripts but is removed during RNA processing
Hungarian intron
- introngenetics: portion of a split gene that is included in pre-RNA transcripts but is removed during RNA processing
Icelandic innröð
- innröðgenetics: portion of a split gene that is included in pre-RNA transcripts but is removed during RNA processing
Italian introne
- intronegenetics: portion of a split gene that is included in pre-RNA transcripts but is removed during RNA processing
Portuguese íntron
- íntrongenetics: portion of a split gene that is included in pre-RNA transcripts but is removed during RNA processing
Russian интро́н
- интро́н (intrón)genetics: portion of a split gene that is included in pre-RNA transcripts but is removed during RNA processing
Spanish intrón
- intróngenetics: portion of a split gene that is included in pre-RNA transcripts but is removed during RNA processing
Swedish intron
- introngenetics: portion of a split gene that is included in pre-RNA transcripts but is removed during RNA processing
Turkish intron
- introngenetics: portion of a split gene that is included in pre-RNA transcripts but is removed during RNA processing
Cite this entry
APA
intron. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intron
MLA
“intron.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intron. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “intron,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intron.
Source: intron on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.