Zygotene

Origin

zyg- 'union, zygosis' (from Ancient Greek (zygon) 'junction, yoke') + -tene 'filament' (from Ancient Greek (tainia) 'band, fillet')

Full definition of zygotene

Noun

1. (biology) The intimate pairing of homologous chromosomes during the synaptic stage of meiosis

Related terms

• zygose
• zygosis
• zygosity
• zygosphere
• zygospore
• zygotic
• zygotically
• -zygous
• heterozygosis