Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- n. The tangle of filaments that appears at the beginning of the prophase portion of meiosis or mitosis.
- n. Any of these filaments.
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The stage of the nucleus in karyokinesis, or mitosis, during which the chromatin assumes the form of a continuous or segmented thread.
Etymologies
German Spirem, from Greek speirēma, coil, from speirāsthai, to be coiled around, from speira, coil.
(American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)Examples
-
Flemming, on the other hand, clung to his erroneous view that all the chromosomes are at first united into one long continu - ous thread, a “spireme,” which later breaks up into the separate chromosomes.
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.