genome

noun

ge·​nome ˈjē-ˌnōm 

: one haploid set of chromosomes with the genes they contain

broadly : the genetic material of an organism compare proteome

Examples of genome in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The researchers found that around 6,000 years ago, the CLV people began migrating in two directions: One group moved west into what is now Ukraine and mixed with local hunter-gatherers, eventually forming the Yamnaya genome. —Ella Jeffries, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2025

Through migration, both hunter-gatherer and early farming groups mixed and mingled, sharing their genomes and, more importantly for this study, their languages. —Stephanie Edwards, Discover Magazine, 5 Feb. 2025

Genomic sequencing, which deciphers the entire viral genome, is more ambitious. —Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2025

To confirm the microbial partnership, the lab isolated both parties to analyze their genomes. —Molly Herring, WIRED, 26 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

German Genom, from Gen gene + -om (as in Chromosom chromosome)

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing genome

• genome editing

Medical Definition

genome

noun

ge·​nome ˈjē-ˌnōm 

: one haploid set of chromosomes with the genes they contain

broadly : the genetic material of an organism

The idea behind sequencing an organism's genome—decoding, letter by letter, the message contained in every last one of its genes—is that it would tell us a lot about how the organism works.

—Lori Oliwenstein, Discover