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bivalent

Syllabification: (bi·va·lent)
Pronunciation: /bīˈvālənt/
Definition of bivalent

adjective

  • 1 Biology (of homologous chromosomes) associated in pairs.

noun

Biology
  • a pair of homologous chromosomes.

Origin:

mid 19th century: from bi- 'two' + Latin valent- 'being strong' (from the verb valere)

bivalent in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of bivalent in the British & World English dictionary
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