The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word GENE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
G
E
N
E
More clues leading to the result GENE
- Vincent for one displays good bearing
- Kelly‘s inheritance?
- Spirit not one that’s inherited
- It helps to make you a bit degenerate
- Vincent usually avoids rally
- Medical unit contributing to hostage negotiations
- Information and energy combine to form hereditary unit
- It conveys characteristic style right away
- What sequencing of heritage needs?
- Somewhat degenerate element of heredity
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Vincent/Vincent" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case vincent/vincent = gene.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does GENE mean?
GENE noun- A theoretical unit of heredity of living organisms; a gene may take several values and in principle predetermines a precise trait of an organism's form (phenotype), such as hair color.
- A segment of DNA or RNA from a cell's or an organism's genome, that may take several forms and thus parameterizes a phenomenon, in general the structure of a protein; locus.