centromere

Etymology

Borrowed from German Centromer, corresponding to centro- + -mere (from Ancient Greek μέρος (méros, “part”)).

noun

1. (genetics) The central region of a eukaryotic chromosome where the kinetochore is assembled.
   The aberrant bivalents with single terminal chiasmata are specially liable to this failure of orientation, presumably because their centromeres lie exceptionally far apart, as is the case in similar circumstances in a Lilium hybrid with reduced chiasma-frequency. 1936, C. D. Darlington, “The Analysis of Chromosome Movements, I. Podophyllum versipelle”, in Cytologia, volume 7, numbers 1-2, page 242
   Every chromosome has a long arm and a short arm separated by a pinch point known as a centromere. 1999, Matt Ridley, Genome, Harper Perennial, published 2000, page 16