acrocentric
adjective
ac·ro·cen·tric
ˌa-krō-ˈsen-trik 
: having the centromere situated so that one chromosomal arm is much shorter than the other
acrocentric
noun
Examples of acrocentric in a Sentence
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The most recent project identified three main mapping targets for its sample genome: centromeric satellite arrays; recent segmental duplications; and the short arms of the five acrocentric chromosomes (chromosomes that aren’t cut evenly in half).
—
Connor Lynch, Discover Magazine, 10 May 2022
Adam Phillippy and his team at NHGRI deserve special credit for their focused work to resolve the sequences of the ribosomal DNA arrays on each of the five acrocentric chromosomes, where the centromere is much closer to one end than to the center.
—Quanta Magazine, 8 Sep. 2021
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Connor Lynch, Discover Magazine, 10 May 2022
Adam Phillippy and his team at NHGRI deserve special credit for their focused work to resolve the sequences of the ribosomal DNA arrays on each of the five acrocentric chromosomes, where the centromere is much closer to one end than to the center.
—Quanta Magazine, 8 Sep. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Acrocentric.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acrocentric. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
acrocentric
adjective
ac·ro·cen·tric
ˌak-rō-ˈsen-trik
: having the centromere situated so that one chromosomal arm is much shorter than the other compare metacentric, telocentric entry 1
acrocentric
noun
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