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 virus’s genome breaks into pieces in wastewater. —Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2025

Already, the fungus genome had gained mutations to accommodate the bacteria. —Molly Herring, WIRED, 26 Jan. 2025

What To Know About Trump’s ‘Mass Deportation’ Push—As Major Cities And Mexico Brace For Surge The system uses a prime editing guide RNA and a nicking guide RNA to make precise edits to the genome. —William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025

And some have questioned whether preventive genome sequencing actually benefits people’s health. —Dana G. Smith, New York Times, 22 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