[ dʒi:n ]
■ noun a unit of heredity which is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring; in particular, a distinct sequence of DNA forming part of a chromosome.
Origin
early 20th cent.: from Ger. Gen , from Pangen , a supposed ultimate unit of heredity (from Gk pan- 'all' + genos 'race, kind, offspring').