Meaning & use
diploid
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Having two full sets of chromosomes, one from each parent.
Grammar: Describes a cell or organism; no comparative forms.
Patterns
- diploid cell
- diploid organism
- be diploid
Most human cells are diploid, containing 46 chromosomes.
The fertilized egg is diploid, with one set of chromosomes from each parent.
In diploid organisms, each gene is present in two copies.
nouncountable
A cell or organism that has two complete sets of chromosomes.
Grammar: Countable noun; plural is diploids.
Patterns
- a diploid
- diploids and haploids
The life cycle alternates between a haploid and a diploid.
Researchers compared the genes of diploids and haploids.
Common combinations
- diploid number
- The diploid number of chromosomes in humans is 46.
- diploid cell
- A diploid cell divides by mitosis to produce identical cells.
- diploid organism
- In a diploid organism, mutations can be masked by a normal copy of the gene.
- haploid and diploid phases
- The plant switches between haploid and diploid phases.
Synonyms and how they differ
- 2n
- A notation used in genetics for the diploid chromosome number; it is a symbol, not a word.
Opposites
Word family
- diploidy noun
- The state of being diploid.
Commonly confused: diploid or haploid?
diploid vs haploid
Haploid means having a single set of chromosomes, as in sperm and egg cells; diploid means two sets.
Practice
In a diploid organism, how many sets of chromosomes does each body cell contain?
Choose one answer.
Diploid means two complete sets, one from each parent. One set would be haploid, and three or four sets are not typical for diploid cells.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “diploid”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.