genome
ゲノム
解説 Definition
genome は生物が持つ遺伝情報全体、つまりゲノムという意味です。日本語の「ゲノム」とほぼ同じで、生物学や医療の文脈でよく使われます。
A genome is the complete set of genetic material in an organism, cell, or virus. It includes the DNA, or RNA in some viruses, that carries the information needed for biological structure, function, inheritance, and reproduction.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
genome は gene「遺伝子」を含む、生物の遺伝情報全体を指す語。一つの gene が特定の情報単位なのに対し、genome はそれらを含む全体像と覚える。human genome「ヒトゲノム」、sequence a genome「ゲノム配列を決定する」、compare genomes「ゲノムを比較する」が典型表現。
Connect genome with gene, but remember the difference in scale. A gene is a particular unit or region of genetic information, whereas a genome is the complete genetic set belonging to an organism, cell, or virus. Picture a gene as one meaningful section in a very large biological instruction collection and the genome as the whole collection. Useful combinations include “the human genome,” “sequence a genome,” “genome analysis,” and “compare the genomes of different animals.” This whole-versus-part contrast makes the technical meaning precise and prevents confusion with chromosome or gene.
例文
Scientists studied the human genome.
科学者たちはヒトゲノムを研究しました。
Each plant has its own genome.
それぞれの植物には固有のゲノムがあります。
The project compares the genome of different animals.
そのプロジェクトでは、さまざまな動物のゲノムを比較します。
genome の類義語・関連語
genome の語源・成り立ち Etymology
genome は 1920年にドイツ語 Genom から広まった学術語で、gene「遺伝子」と chromosome の語尾を組み合わせた語です。要するに「遺伝情報のひとまとまり」という発想で、「全遺伝情報」という意味になりました。関連語は gene, chromosome。
Genome was coined in German as Genom in 1920 by the botanist Hans Winkler. It was formed from Gen, the German equivalent of gene, together with a suffix modeled on the ending of Chromosom, meaning chromosome. The new term named the complete hereditary material of an organism rather than one individual gene. English subsequently adopted genome as a standard term in genetics, biology, and medicine.
同じレベルの英単語をもっと
外部辞書で調べる
この単語を英単語クイズで覚えよう