locus means A place or locality, especially a centre of activity or the scene of a crime. It carries an Arena rating of 1477, earned across 4 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, locus ranks #741 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #2,792 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #3,746 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #4,367 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words.
locus is pronounced /ˈləʊkəs/.
Why “locus” is a great word
A specific place, position, or set of points satisfying a particular condition. From Latin locus ("a place, spot, position"). Unlike "location" (a general term for a place) or "venue" (a site designed for events), "locus" implies a precise, defined point or center of activity. It is the exact coordinate on a map, the specific gene on a chromosome, the singular point where all forces converge—a point so definite it generates its own gravity.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin locus. Doublet of lieu.
noun
- A place or locality, especially a centre of activity or the scene of a crime.e.g.“The cafeteria was the locus of activity.”
- The set of all points whose coordinates satisfy a given equation or condition.e.g.“A circle is the locus of points from which the distance to the center is a given value, the radius.”
- A fixed position on a string of DNA or RNA, especially a chromosome, that may be occupied by one or more genes.e.g.“Holonyms: subband < band < region < replicon”
- A passage in writing, especially in a collection of ancient sacred writings arranged according to a theme.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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