Meaning & use
a genotype
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Meanings
nouncountabletechnicalbiology
The complete set of genes that a living thing carries, which decides its inherited features.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a genotype', 'the genotype', or 'genotypes' for more than one.
Patterns
- the genotype of an organism
- determine a genotype
Scientists compared the genotype of the wild plant with that of the farmed variety.
Two mice can look identical but have a very different genotype.
The genotype is fixed at fertilization and does not change during life.
nouncountabletechnicalbiology
The specific pair of gene variants that an individual has for one particular characteristic.
Grammar: Often used with a possessive: 'the patient's genotype for this gene'.
Patterns
- a genotype for a gene
- the genotype at a locus
Her genotype for the blood-type gene was AO.
Doctors tested his genotype before choosing the treatment.
Each child inherits one allele from each parent, giving a unique genotype.
Word forms
| plural | genotypes |
|---|
Common combinations
- genotype and phenotype
- The genotype is the genetic code; the phenotype is what you can see.
- determine the genotype
- A blood test can determine the genotype of an unborn baby.
- genotype frequency
- The genotype frequency of the disease rose in isolated populations.
- match the genotype
- For a transplant, doctors try to match the genotype as closely as possible.
Synonyms and how they differ
- genetic makeup
- A general, non-technical way to say the same thing; use it in everyday writing.
- genome
- Refers to the entire DNA sequence, while genotype usually means the alleles for particular genes.
Word family
- genotypic adjective
- Relating to a genotype, as in 'genotypic variation'.
- genotypically adverb
- In terms of genotype, as in 'genotypically identical'.
- phenotype noun
- The observable traits produced by a genotype and the environment.
Commonly confused: a genotype or phenotype? a genotype or genome?
a genotype vs phenotype
Phenotype is what you can observe (height, eye color); genotype is the underlying gene combination.
a genotype vs genome
Genome means all the DNA in a cell; genotype often refers to the alleles at one or a few genes.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'genotype' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Genotype refers to the gene variants a person carries, so 'one allele for blue eyes' fits. The first option confuses genotype with phenotype, which can change with the environment; the last two use the word in unrelated contexts.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a genotype”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.