WANI Dictionary

Homologous chromosome

When two chromosomes are similar in appearance and genetic information, the two chromosomes are homologous to each other.

While in biology, the word “homologous” often means “sharing a common ancestor”, in this case the word is used in a semantic way meaning “having the same relation, relative position, or structure” [3].

Homologous chromosomes make a pair during meiosis. One of the homologous chromosomes is inherited from the male parent, and the other is from the female parent.

Definitions in the literature

• a chromosome that is similar in appearance and genetic information to another chromosome with which it pairs during meiosis; also called homologue [1].
• homologous pair: A pair of chromosomes that are alike in structure and size and that carry genetic information for the same set of hereditary characteristics. One chromosome of a homologous pair is inherited from the male parent and the other is inherited from the female parent [2].