genome

This term describes the entire blueprint of an organism, encompassing both the coding genes and the vast stretches of non-coding DNA. It is used in scientific discourse to refer to the totality of genetic information, whether for a single individual or an entire species. While the word is typically used as a countable noun in research contexts (e.g., comparing different genomes), it functions as a collective biological concept. It is distinct from a gene, which is a single unit of heredity, and a genotype, which refers to the specific genetic makeup of an individual.