| a combining form meaning “ribbon,” used in biology to form compound nouns that refer to the shape or number of chromosomes involved in meiosis: leptotene; pachytene; diplotene. |
[Fr. la ten] 
| 1. | Archaeology. designating the period or culture of the late Iron Age typified by the structural remains, swords, tools, utensils, etc., found at La Tène. Compare Hallstattan. |
| 2. | a shallow area at the E end of the Lake of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, where these remains were found. |
