Homeobox

Origin

From - + box.

Full definition of homeobox

Noun

1. (genetics) A short sequence of DNA that is shared by several genes involved in the morphogenesis of many organisms.
• 1999, Matt Ridley, Genome, Harper Perennial 2004, p. 176:When he looked in mice, there it was again: almost exactly the same 180-letter string – the homeobox.

Derived terms

• homeobox gene
• homeodomain