# locus

Pronunciation: say "LOH-kuhs" US /ˈloʊkəs/, UK /ˈləʊkəs/

## Noun

1. A particular place or locality, especially one that is the center of some activity or the scene of a crime.
   - Simple: A place, especially one where a lot happens or where a crime took place.
   - _The old market square remains the locus of the town's social life._
   - _For a few years, the tiny café on Main Street was the locus of the town's music scene._
2. In genetics, the specific place on a chromosome, or other stretch of DNA or RNA, where a particular gene or sequence is found.
   - Simple: A fixed spot on a strand of DNA or RNA, often on a chromosome, where a gene can be.
   - _The team traced the inherited disorder to a single locus on the short arm of the chromosome._
   - _The study compared hundreds of loci across the two populations._
3. In geometry, the curve, surface, or other figure made up of every point that meets a given condition or equation.
   - Simple: In math, all the points that fit a certain rule, which together often form a line or curve.
   - _The locus of points equidistant from two fixed points is a straight line._
   - _Parabolas, ellipses, and hyperbolas can each be described as loci defined by a focus and a directrix._
4. The seat or source of something abstract, such as power, control, responsibility, or causation: where it resides or where it begins.
   - Simple: The place where something you cannot touch, like power or control, is found or comes from.
   - _The reforms shifted the locus of decision-making from Washington to the state capitals._
   - _The town had two rival loci of authority, the church and the mill owner._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A passage in a piece of writing, especially one in a collection of ancient sacred texts arranged by theme.

## Origin

Borrowed from Latin locus.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/locus (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).