heterozygous

adjective/ˌhɛtəroʊˈzaɪɡəs/

Frequency rank: #19,419 most common English word

Meaning

Having two different alleles for a particular gene, one from each parent.

Illustration for the English word “heterozygous”

Example sentence

The child inherited one dominant and one recessive allele, making her heterozygous for that trait.

Synonyms & related words

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