Hardy-Weinberg law

noun

Har·​dy-Wein·​berg law ˌhär-dē-ˈwīn-ˌbərg- 

variants or less commonly Hardy-Weinberg principle

: a fundamental principle of population genetics: population gene frequencies and genotype frequencies remain constant from generation to generation if mating is random and if mutation, selection, immigration, and emigration do not occur

Word History

Etymology

G. H. Hardy †1947 English mathematician and W. Weinberg †1937 German physician

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

Hardy-Weinberg law

noun

Har·​dy-Wein·​berg law ˌhärd-ē-ˈwīn-ˌbərg- 

: a fundamental principle of population genetics that is approximately true for small populations and holds with increasing exactness for larger and larger populations: population gene frequencies and population genotype frequencies remain constant from generation to generation if mating is random and if mutation, selection, immigration, and emigration do not occur

called also Hardy-Weinberg principle