homozygous
adjective
ho·mo·zy·gous
ˌhō-mə-ˈzī-gəs 
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
Dictionary Entries Near homozygous
Cite this Entry
“Homozygous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homozygous. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
homozygous
adjective
ho·mo·zy·gous
ˌhō-mə-ˈzī-gəs
: 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
: having the two genes at corresponding loci on homologous chromosomes identical for one or more loci compare heterozygous
homozygously
adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share