Word parts
chrom/o color-some body (they take up colored stains easily)
What it means
The packages that hold a person's genetic instructions. Most human cells have 46 chromosomes in 23 pairs, one of each pair from each parent. One pair, the sex chromosomes, is XX in most females and XY in most males. An extra or missing chromosome causes conditions such as Down syndrome (an extra chromosome 21).
At a glance
| Spanish | cromosoma |
|---|---|
| Also written | chromosomes |
Related terms
birth defect
A problem in how a part of the body is formed or works that is present when a baby is born.