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Definition of Short arm of a chromosome
Medically reviewed by Min Clinic Staff | Updated: January 2026
Short arm of a chromosome: The short arm of a human chromosome is symbolized by convention as "p". The "p" comes from the French "petit" meaning small. All human chromosomes have 2 arms, the p (short) arm and the q (long) arm. They are separated from each other only by a primary constriction, the centromere, the point at which the chromosome is attached to the spindle during cell division. The symbol "q" was chosen for the long arm simply because it followed "p" in the alphabet.