zygotene, n.

zygotene
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zygotene_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
First published 1986; not fully revised

# zygotenenoun

## Earlier version

- zygotene in OED Second Edition (1989)

## Factsheet

### What does the noun zygotene mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun zygotene. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

#### Entry status

OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.

### How common is the noun zygotene?

About 0.03occurrences per million words in modern written English

1910 | 0.0098
1920 | 0.015
1930 | 0.02
1940 | 0.028
1950 | 0.034
1960 | 0.037
1970 | 0.037
1980 | 0.037
1990 | 0.037
2000 | 0.035
2010 | 0.026

### How is the noun zygotene pronounced?

#### British English

/ˈzʌɪɡə(ʊ)tiːn/
ZIGH-goh-teen
/ˈzɪɡə(ʊ)tiːn/
ZIG-oh-teen

#### U.S. English

/ˈzaɪɡəˌtin/
ZIGH-guh-teen

### Where does the noun zygotene come from?

Earliest known use

1910s

The earliest known use of the noun zygotene is in the 1910s.

OED's earliest evidence for zygotene is from 1911, in Journal of Morphology.

zygotene is a borrowing from French.

Etymons: French zygotène.

### Nearby entries

1. zygosphenal, adj. 1854–
2. zygosphene, n. 1854–
3. zygosphere, n. 1880–
4. zygospondyline, adj. 1892–
5. zygospore, n. 1864–
6. zygosporic, adj. 1906–
7. zygostat, n. 1623
8. zygostatical, adj. 1656
9. zygostyle, n. 1881–
10. zygote, n. 1891–
11. zygotene, n.1911–
12. zygotic, adj. 1909–
13. -zygotic, comb. form
14. zygotically, adv. 1915–
15. zygotoblast, n. 1899–
16. zygotoid, n. 1891–
17. zygotomere, n. 1899–
18. -zygous, comb. form
19. zygozoospore, n. 1881–
20. Zyklon, n. 1939–
21. zymad, n. 1885–

## Etymology

### Summary

A borrowing from French.
Etymon: French zygotène.
< French zygotène (V. Grégoire 1907, in La Cellule XXIV. 371): see zygo- comb. form and ‑tene comb. form.

## Meaning & use

Cytology.

1. 1911–
   The second stage of the prophase of meiosis, following leptotene, during which homologous chromosomes begin to pair.
   1. 1911

      > This view..goes on to show that after the last spermatogonial mitosis the chromosomes become very delicate slender threads, the leptotene condition..; these then approximate themselves parallel into pairs making the zygotene condition.

      Journal of Morphology vol. 22 752
   2. 1939

      > The number of bivalents attached to the nucleolus at zygotene to diakinesis.

      Nature 8 July 81/1
   3. 1974

      > At leptotene of meiotic prophase in many organisms, all the telomeres become gathered together and attached to a small area of the nuclear envelope, presumably so as to facilitate pairing during zygotene.

      Nature 9 August 469/2
   cell biology genetics
   1. resting stage 1810–
      a. A place at which rest is taken during a journey (cf. stage, n.¹ V.17); also figurative; b. chiefly Biology a stage in a process, life cycle…
   2. prophase 1884–
      The first stage in a mitotic or meiotic nuclear division, preceding prometaphase, during which chromatin condenses into chromosomes which become…
   3. anaphase 1887–
      The stage in cell division, between metaphase and telophase, during which the daughter chromosomes move apart towards the opposite poles.
   4. metaphase 1887–
      Originally: †each of the changes observed in the dividing cell nucleus from the formation of the equatorial plate to the beginning of the separation…
   5. synapsis 1895–
      Biology. Originally in sense of quots. 1895, 1905; in modern use, chromosomal pairing during the zygotene stage of meiosis.
   6. telophase 1895–
      The final phase of mitosis and meiosis, following anaphase and preceding interphase, at which the chromatids or chromosomes are at opposite poles of…
   7. maturation division 1896–
      Either of the two divisions of meiosis.
   8. postsynapsis 1898–
      Originally: a stage of meiosis after synapsis; spec. †(a) the stage in late anaphase during which paired chromosomes or chromatids become completely…
   9. strepsinema 1900–25
      A condition of the nucleus during cell division, characterized by pairs of chromosomes twisted around one another or in the form of twisted rings…
   10. synizesis 1905–
       Cytology. Also synezesis. A stage of meiosis in some species in which all the chromosomal material is seen tightly contracted into a clump.
   11. interkinesis 1906–
       A stage which sometimes intervenes between the first and second divisions of meiosis; also, any stage between mitoses.
   12. pachynema 1909–
       = pachytene, n.
   13. telosynapsis 1909–
       A supposed end-to-end pairing of chromosomes during the zygotene stage of meiosis; = telosyndesis, n.
   14. leptonema 1911–
       = leptotene, n.
   15. metasyndesis 1911–
       Pairing of chromosomes by their ends; = telosynapsis, n.
   16. strepsitene 1911–25
       = strepsinema, n.
   17. zygonema 1911–
       †a. A chromosome at zygotene; b. = zygotene, n.; now rare.
   18. zygotene 1911–
       The second stage of the prophase of meiosis, following leptotene, during which homologous chromosomes begin to pair.
   19. leptotene 1912–
       The first stage of the prophase of the first meiotic division, in which the chromosomes are apparent as fine slender threads. Also attributive or as…
   20. pachytene 1912–
       In cell division: the third stage of the first meiotic prophase, following zygotene, during which the paired chromosomes shorten and thicken, the…
   21. interphase 1913–
       Cytology. A stage in the cycle of nuclear division which intervenes between one mitosis and the next; also, a stage between the first and second…
   22. telosyndesis 1920
       = telosynapsis, n.
   23. prometaphase 1931–
       The stage in mitotic or meiotic nuclear division, following prophase and preceding metaphase, during which the condensed chromosomes become…
   24. dictyotene 1957–
       The dictyate stage of meiosis in oocytes; = dictyate, n. Frequently attributive.
   25. dictyate 1958–
       The dictyate stage of meiosis; = dictyotene, n.
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/ˈzʌɪɡə(ʊ)tiːn/
ZIGH-goh-teen
/ˈzɪɡə(ʊ)tiːn/
ZIG-oh-teen

### U.S. English

/ˈzaɪɡəˌtin/
ZIGH-guh-teen

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- ɬrhingyll
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛtl/ but /ˈpɛtl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath
- ɑːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot
- ɔːthought, force
- ʌstrut
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əletter
- əːnurse
- ɪənear
- ɛːsquare
- ʊəcure
- eɪface
- ʌɪpride
- aʊmouth
- əʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ãgratin
- ɒ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye*
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

* /d/ also represents a 'tapped' /t/ as in

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but /ˈpɛdl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- ifleece, happy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- ætrap, bath
- ɑlot, palm, cloth, thought
- ɑrstart
- ɔcloth, thought
- ɔrnorth, force
- ʊfoot
- ugoose
- əstrut, comma
- ərnurse, letter
- ɪ(ə)rnear
- ɛ(ə)rsquare
- ʊ(ə)rcure
- eɪface
- aɪpride
- aʊmouth
- oʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ɑ̃gratin
- æ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

Simple text respell breaks words into syllables, separated by a hyphen. The syllable which carries the primary stress is written in capital letters. This key covers both British and U.S. English Simple Text Respell.

##### Consonants

b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and z have their standard English values

- gguy
- jjay
- yyore
- chchore
- khloch
- shshore
- ththaw
- dhthee
- zhbeige

##### Vowels

- atrap
- ahpalm
- airsquare
- arstart
- arrcarry (British only)
- awthought
- ayface
- a(ng)gratin
- edress
- eefleece
- eerdeer
- errmerry
- ikit
- ighpride
- irrmirror
- olot (British only)
- ohgoat
- oogoose
- oorcure
- orforce
- orrsorry (British only)
- owmouth
- oyvoice
- o(ng)salon
- ustrut
- uhletter
- urnurse
- urrhurry
- uufoot

## Frequency

zygotene typically occurs about 0.03 times per million words in modern written English.

zygotene is in frequency band 3, which contains words occurring between 0.01 and 0.1 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands

Frequency data is computed programmatically, and should be regarded as an estimate.

### Frequency of zygotene, n., 1910–2010

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.

The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.

For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the Google Books corpus.

Decade | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
1910 | 0.0098
1920 | 0.015
1930 | 0.02
1940 | 0.028
1950 | 0.034
1960 | 0.037
1970 | 0.037
1980 | 0.037
1990 | 0.037
2000 | 0.035
2010 | 0.026

zygotene, n. was first published in 1986; not fully revised.

zygotene, n. was last modified in July 2023.