genotype

American  

[jen-uh-tahyp, jee-nuh-] / ˈdʒɛn əˌtaɪp, ˈdʒi nə- /

noun

Genetics.

1. the genetic makeup of an organism or group of organisms with reference to a single trait, set of traits, or an entire complex of traits.

2. the sum total of genes transmitted from parent to offspring.

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genotype British  

/ ˌdʒɛnəʊtɪˈpɪsɪtɪ, ˌdʒɛnəʊˈtɪpɪk, ˈdʒɛnəʊˌtaɪp /

noun

1. the genetic constitution of an organism

2. a group of organisms with the same genetic constitution

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genotype Scientific  

/ jĕn′ə-tīp′,jē′nə-tīp′ /

1. The genetic makeup of an organism as distinguished from its physical characteristics.

2. Compare phenotype

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genotype Cultural  

1. A combination of alleles situated on corresponding chromosomes that determines a specific trait.

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Usage

What is a genotype? A genotype is the genetic arrangement that makes up the traits that an organism inherited from its parents. Genotype can also mean the entire collection of genes an offspring inherited from its parents. In animals, a material known as DNA acts as the instructions that tell cells what to do. DNA is organized into incredibly long strands. Along these stands are sequences of base pairs that contain instructions to make specific proteins. These packets of instructions are what we call genes. Human beings have around 20,000 genes in their DNA. Most of these genes are identical in all humans. However, several genes can vary from person to person. We call these different genes alleles, which result in the physical differences we can see, such as eye or hair color. An allele is created when the genes that you inherited from your father and ones you inherited from your mother combine. Your genotype is your specific arrangement of alleles that have to do with a certain trait, such as eye color. For example, I have brown eyes. My eye color is a result of my genotype. I inherited eye color alleles from both my father and my mother. My father gave me the alleles for brown eyes (we’ll call this BR), and my mother also gave me the alleles for brown eyes (BR). My genotype, then, is BRBR, which is my two alleles combined together. My cells read these instructions, and this genotype results in me having my brown eyes.

Other Word Forms

• genotypic adjective
• genotypical adjective
• genotypically adverb
• genotypicity noun

Etymology

Origin of genotype

< German Genotypus (1909); gene, -o-, -type

Compare meaning

How does genotype compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• genotype vs. phenotype

Explanation

The traits you have inherited are the result of your genotype, the makeup of your specific genes as passed on from your ancestors. As a verb, to genotype refers to the process of mapping the gene structure of an organism. The root word gene comes from the Greek genea, which means "generation or race." The word genus had been used since the 1550's as a scientific division, and in late 19th Century Germany, the word genotypus was coined to go along with early studies of genetics. This genetic mapping has yielded some interesting results. For example, a recent scientific study found, through genotyping, that the common ancestor of domestic dogs turned out to be Middle Eastern gray wolves.

Example Sentences

"It was really distressing when those D1.1 genotype cases were found in cows, because it seemed like for the past year that this was a really rare event," she said.

From Salon • Apr. 30, 2025

At present, there is no indication that the genotype leads to more severe illness.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2025

Serra-Cobo, a member of the UB's Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, notes that "all the isolated viruses were classified within genotype 3 of HEV."

From Science Daily • Nov. 26, 2024

“Based on recent diagnostic results, it’s apparent that migratory waterfowl are moving this new ‘D’ genotype down the Pacific Flyway,” said Bryan Richards, the Emerging Disease Coordinator at the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2024

Dobzhansky could now restate the essential truth of Mendel’s discovery—a gene determines a physical feature—by generalizing that idea across multiple genes and multiple features: a genotype determines a phenotype.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee