1. A unit of genetic distance equal to a 1% chance that two genetic loci will be separated by recombination during meiosis.
Usage: genetics; also called map unit; named after Thomas Hunt Morgan

Examples

• Geneticists use the centimorgan to measure the distance between genes on a chromosome.
• Two genes separated by one centimorgan have a 1% recombination frequency.
• The genetic map showed the markers were 5 centimorgans apart.
• In linkage analysis, distances are often expressed in centimorgans rather than physical base pairs.
• A centimorgan is a standard unit in constructing genetic maps of organisms.