genetic engineering

[ juh-net-ik en-juh-neer-ing ]
See synonyms for genetic engineering on Thesaurus.com
nounGenetics.
  1. the development and application of scientific methods, procedures, and technologies that permit direct manipulation of genetic material in order to alter the hereditary traits of a cell, organism, or population.

  2. a technique that produces unlimited amounts of otherwise unavailable or scarce biological product by introducing DNA isolated from animals or plants into bacteria and then harvesting the product from a bacterial colony, as human insulin produced in bacteria by the human insulin gene.

Origin of genetic engineering

1
First recorded in 1965–70

Other words from genetic engineering

  • ge·net·ic en·gi·neer, noun

Words Nearby genetic engineering

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use genetic engineering in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for genetic engineering

genetic engineering

noun
  1. alteration of the DNA of a cell for purposes of research, as a means of manufacturing animal proteins, correcting genetic defects, or making improvements to plants and animals bred by man

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for genetic engineering

genetic engineering

  1. The science of altering and cloning genes to produce a new trait in an organism or to make a biological substance, such as a protein or hormone. Genetic engineering mainly involves the creation of recombinant DNA, which is then inserted into the genetic material of a cell or virus.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for genetic engineering

genetic engineering

The manipulation of DNA to produce new types of organisms, usually by inserting or deleting genes.

Notes for genetic engineering

Genetic engineering has been developed commercially, with uses such as producing human insulin or bacteria that will keep plants from freezing in a mild frost. It is also used to produce genetically modified organisms.

Notes for genetic engineering

U.S. courts have ruled that the products of genetic engineering can be patented.

Notes for genetic engineering

There is often controversy about the risk involved in releasing genetically engineered organisms into the environment.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.