Barr body
noun
ˈbär- 
: a densely staining inactivated condensed X chromosome that is present in each somatic cell of most female mammals and is used as a test of genetic femaleness (as in a fetus)
called also sex chromatin
Word History
Etymology
Murray Llewellyn Barr †1995 Canadian anatomist
First Known Use
1961, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
Barr body
noun
ˈbär-
: a densely staining inactivated condensed X chromosome that is present in each somatic cell of most female mammals and is used as a test of genetic femaleness (as in a fetus or an athlete)
called also sex chromatin