Morgan

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈmɔɹɡən/

Definitions

1. A common given name for both males and females, often derived from Welsh origins that mean "sea-born" or "bright
2. " A surname originating from various cultures, frequently associated with notable historical figures and families
3. A reference to several places and landmarks named after individuals or with historical significance, particularly in the United States

Etymology: Morgan is most often recorded today as a surname or given name, but the form in question here is the one named for the American geneticist Thomas Hunt Morgan (1866–1945), who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1933 for showing that genes sit on chromosomes. The unit called the morgan is a measure of genetic distance, and it was named in his honour. The unit works by tracking how often two genes are separated during the shuffling of chromosomes in reproduction. One morgan corresponds to a 100 percent chance of crossing over between two loci, so a distance of one centimorgan means a 1 percent chance. Because the unit reflects how often traits are inherited together rather than physical length, it lets geneticists map the relative positions of genes along a chromosome.