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gene

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Appendix:Variations of "gene"

English

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Etymology

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From German Gen, from Ancient Greek γενεά (geneá, “generation, descent”), from the aorist infinitive of γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “I come into being”). Coined by Danish botanist Wilhelm Ludwig Johannsen in 1909, in a German-language publication, from the last syllable of pangene.[1]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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gene (plural genes)

  2. (genetics) A theoretical unit of heredity of living organisms which may take several values and (in principle) predetermines a precise trait of an organism's form (phenotype), such as hair color.
    Coordinate term: phene
    Near-synonym: cistron (often synonymous)
  4. (molecular biology) A segment of DNA or RNA from a cell's or an organism's genome, that may take several forms and thus parameterizes a phenomenon, such as (often) the structure of a protein.
    Holonym: locus
    A change in a gene is reflected in the protein or RNA molecule that it codes for.
    • 2019, Bill Bryson, The Body: A Guide for Occupants, Black Swan (2020), page 7:
      A length of DNA is divided into segments called chromosomes and shorter individual units called genes.
    • 2025, The Economist staff, “Primer 1: Nucleic acids and proteins”, in The Economist (Biology Primers series)‎[2], retrieved 18 October 2025:
      One way to define a gene (there are many, and they are not all equivalent) is as the bit of DNA that contains the information needed to make a specific protein or a functional RNA molecule.

Usage notes

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In the simplest case and in principle, a gene as a locus (or part of one) is supposed to be the physical reality corresponding to the theoretical gene as a unit of heredity; in practice, things are far more complicated and confused, which is well known and acknowledged. However, these questions are the subject of still very active scientific research, as well as the topic of both scientific and philosophical questions, especially on the real compatibility between both senses of the term.

Derived terms

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Translations

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Wilhelm Ludvig Johannsen (1909), Elemente der exakten Erblichkeitslehre [Elements of exact heredity]‎[1] (in German), Jena: Gustav Fischer, page 124: “Darum scheint es am einfachsten, aus Darwin's[sic] bekanntem Wort die uns allein interessierende letzte Silbe „Gen“ isoliert zu verwerten, um damit das schlechte, mehrdeutige Wort „Anlage“ zu ersetzen.”

Further reading

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Anagrams

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Danish

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Etymology

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From French gêne.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /sjeːnə/, [ˈɕeːnə]

Noun

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gene c (singular definite genen, plural indefinite gener)

  1. inconvenience, nuisance (something that bothers)
    Røgen fra skorstenen er til gene for naboerne.
    The smoke from the chimney is bothering the neighbours.

Declension

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Declension of gene
common
gender 		singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative gene genen gener generne
genitive genes genens geners genernes

References

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Dutch

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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By surface analysis, geen +‎ -e.

Pronoun

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gene (personal plural genen) (obsolete outside set phrases)

  1. one, person (preceded by a definite article or demonstrative)
  2. the latter, the other
    • 1924 July 18, “Heriot en Poincaré. Vijanden of vrienden? Verschil van methode.”, in De Indische courant‎[3], page 6:
      Hij verschilt zeker heel sterk van den heer Poincaré. Deze is jurist: gene is professor.
      He is surely very different from mister Poincaré. The former is a jurist: the other is a professor.
Alternative forms
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Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

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gene

  1. inflection of geen:
    1. masculine/feminine singular attributive
    2. definite neuter singular attributive
    3. plural attributive

Etymology 3

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See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Determiner

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gene

  1. (archaic) nominative/accusative feminine of geen

Anagrams

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Italian

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Italian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia it

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈd͡ʒɛ.ne/
  • Rhymes: -ɛne
  • Hyphenation: gè‧ne

Etymology 1

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From German Gen.

Noun

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gene m (plural geni)

  1. (genetics) gene
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Etymology 2

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See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

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gene f pl

  1. plural of gena

Middle Dutch

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Etymology

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From Old Dutch *gēn, from Proto-Germanic *jainaz.

Pronunciation

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Determiner

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gêne

  1. that over there, yonder

Descendants

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  • Dutch: geen

Further reading

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Portuguese

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Pronunciation

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  • Hyphenation: ge‧ne

Noun

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gene m (plural genes)

  1. (genetics) gene
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Further reading

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Romanian

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈd͡ʒe.ne/
  • Rhymes: -ene
  • Hyphenation: ge‧ne

Etymology 1

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Noun

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gene f

  1. inflection of genă (“gene”):
    1. indefinite nominative/accusative plural
    2. indefinite genitive/dative singular

Etymology 2

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Noun

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gene f

  1. inflection of geană (“eyelash”):
    1. indefinite nominative/accusative plural
    2. indefinite genitive/dative singular

Spanish

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Etymology

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Borrowed from German Gen, from Ancient Greek γενεά (geneá, “generation, descent”).

Noun

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gene m (plural genes)

  1. gene
    Synonym: gen
    • 2022 June 3, Sandee LaMotte, “El efecto 'Benjamin Button': científicos logran revertir el envejecimiento en ratones. El objetivo es hacer lo mismo con los humanos”, in CNN en Español‎[4]:
      Después de inyectar el virus en el ojo, los genes pluripotentes se activaron al alimentar al ratón con un antibiótico.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Turkish

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Etymology

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From Old Turkic *yana (“again”), from Proto-Turkic *yan- (“to return, turn back”).

Cognates

Cognate with Bashkir және (jəne, “йән”); Kyrgyz жана (jana, “again”), Uzbek yana (“again”), Uyghur يەنە (yene, “again”), Turkmen ýene (“again”),

Adverb

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gene

  1. (colloquial) again
    Synonym: yine

Noun

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gene

  1. dative singular of gen
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