1. Plural of centimorgan; units of genetic distance used in mapping chromosomes, where one centimorgan represents a 1% chance that two genetic loci will be separated by recombination during meiosis.
Usage: technical; genetics; often abbreviated as cM

Examples

• The two genes are separated by approximately 15 centimorgans on the chromosome.
• Geneticists use centimorgans to measure the distance between genetic markers.
• A recombination frequency of 5% corresponds to 5 centimorgans.
• The linkage analysis showed the mutations were 20 centimorgans apart.
• Centimorgans help researchers create detailed genetic maps of organisms.