homozygous

adjective

ho·​mo·​zy·​gous ˌhō-mə-ˈzī-gəs How to pronounce homozygous (audio)
ˌhä-
: having the two genes at corresponding loci on homologous chromosomes identical for one or more loci
homozygously adverb

Examples of homozygous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Those who are homozygous or have two copies of the mutation are at lower risk. Angus Chen, STAT, 27 Dec. 2023 Imagine a magical individual who is 100% homozygous, but alive and fertile. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 18 July 2013 Obviously individuals who have recent ancestors who appear in multiple positions in their pedigree have a much higher likelihood of having homozygous genotypes, which are often not optimal. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 18 July 2013 And when a mutation eventually created new homozygous clonal raiders, the dormant supergene traits were reactivated and the miniature queenlike mutants appeared overnight. Viviane Callier, Quanta Magazine, 8 May 2023 Not only would doctors look for a donor to address his leukemia, but also one who carried a rare mutation, homozygous CCR5 delta 32 mutation, which makes people resistant to most strains of HIV infection. Ema Sasic, USA TODAY, 30 Apr. 2023 Think back to the example of the chromosome with long homozygous stretches. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 18 July 2013 The researchers estimated that people who were homozygous (had two copies) of this protective gene variant involved in antigen presentation were 40 percent more likely to survive the plague than those with two copies of a deleterious variant, which encodes a broken protein. Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 19 Oct. 2022 But in homozygous selfing lineages recombination doesn't live up to that promise: there's not enough heterozygosity within the genomes of these organisms so that the shuffling of the strands across each other produces anything new! Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 13 Jan. 2011

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'homozygous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of homozygous was in 1902

Dictionary Entries Near homozygous

Cite this Entry

“Homozygous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homozygous. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

homozygous

adjective
ho·​mo·​zy·​gous ˌhō-mə-ˈzī-gəs How to pronounce homozygous (audio)
: having at least one gene pair that contains identical genes
a pea plant homozygous for yellow seed

Medical Definition

homozygous

adjective
ho·​mo·​zy·​gous -ˈzī-gəs How to pronounce homozygous (audio)
: having the two genes at corresponding loci on homologous chromosomes identical for one or more loci compare heterozygous
homozygously adverb
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