genetics

noun

ge·​net·​ics jə-ˈne-tiks 

plural in form but singular in construction

1

: a branch of biology that deals with the heredity and variation of organisms

2

: the genetic makeup and phenomena of an organism, type, group, or condition

geneticist

jə-ˈne-tə-sist 

noun

Examples of genetics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Greg Lutz of Louisiana State University, who has been researching the role of genetics in aquaculture for decades, told MIT Technology. —al, 5 Feb. 2023

While a bulk of living longer and avoiding debilitating chronic illnesses lies in lifestyle changes, another factor is genetics, and the other is mere luck. —Alexa Mikhail, Fortune, 1 Feb. 2023

George Church is a professor of genetics and of health sciences and technology at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. —Juergen Eckhardt and George Church, STAT, 1 Feb. 2023

The field of genetics has historically been misused to justify pre-existing prejudices. —Teresa Nowakowski, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Jan. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1905, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing genetics

• molecular genetics

Kids Definition

genetics

noun

ge·​net·​ics jə-ˈnet-iks 

: a branch of biology that deals with the inherited traits and variation of organisms

Medical Definition

genetics

noun, plural in form but singular in construction

ge·​net·​ics jə-ˈnet-iks 

1

a

: a branch of biology that deals with the heredity and variation of organisms

b

: a treatise or textbook on genetics

2

: the genetic makeup and phenomena of an organism, type, group, or condition