# nucleosome

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. Any of the subunits that repeat in chromatin; a coil of DNA surrounding a core of eight histones.

## Etymology
From nucleo- + -some, and to evoke the older name nu body. Coined by P. Oudet et al. in 1975 (see quotation below).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/nucleosome