Definition

1. Noun:
   • (Genetics) An organism having two identical alleles of a particular gene: A homozygote is an individual whose genotype for a specific genetic locus contains two identical alleles (e.g., both dominant 'AA' or both recessive 'aa'). This results in the organism "breeding true" for the characteristic determined by that gene, meaning all offspring will inherit the same allele combination when crossed with another identical homozygote.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • A plant that is a homozygote for flower color will produce offspring with consistent color when self-pollinated.
  • In the experiment, the researchers identified the mouse as a homozygote for the recessive trait.

Advanced Usage

• Scientific Context: The term is primarily used in genetics, biology, and related scientific fields to describe genetic purity at a specific locus.
  • The population study focused on the frequency of the homozygote genotype in the isolated community.

Variants and Related Words

• Homozygous (adj): Describing the state of having two identical alleles for a gene.
  • The homozygous individual carried two copies of the mutated gene.
• Homozygosity (n): The condition or proportion of being homozygous.
  • The homozygosity of the population increased due to inbreeding.

Synonyms

• True-breeding organism: (In the context of Mendelian genetics) An organism that, when self-fertilized or crossed with a genetically identical organism, produces offspring with the same phenotype for a trait.

Antonyms

• Heterozygote (n): An organism having two different alleles of a particular gene.
  • A heterozygote (e.g., 'Aa') will not breed true for the characteristic.

Noun

1. (genetics) an organism having two identical alleles of a particular gene and so breeding true for the particular characteristic