BharatNotes Chromosome
noun (countable)Usage in a UPSC answer
India's Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994, regulates chromosomal and genetic testing to prevent sex-selective abortion, reflecting the dual role of chromosomal science in both medical diagnosis and social policy.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
chromosomal (adjective), chromatin (noun), chromatid (noun), chromosome pair (noun phrase), autosome (noun), sex chromosome (noun phrase)
Root
Greek khrōma = colour + sōma = body (named because these structures were stained with dyes and appeared coloured under the microscope)
Etymology
The term was coined by German anatomist Heinrich Wilhelm von Waldeyer-Hartz in 1888 from Greek khrōma (colour) and sōma (body), describing the deeply staining thread-like bodies visible in dividing cells under aniline dyes. Walther Flemming had described the structures in 1878 but called them 'chromatin'. The -some suffix (from sōma, body) recurs across biology in 'ribosome', 'lysosome', and 'centrosome', all denoting discrete sub-cellular bodies.
Memory Hook
Chromosome = khrōma (colour) + sōma (body) — a 'coloured body'. Scientists named it because these structures soak up dye and appear as vivid coloured threads under the microscope. Think: when you stain a cell, the chromosomes COLOUR themselves brightly, standing out as coloured bodies.
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