allotype

[ al-uh-tahyp ]

/ ˈæl əˌtaɪp /

noun

Biology. a type specimen of the sex opposite to that of the holotype.

Immunology. an antibody of a given class having certain molecular sites shared by only some members of a species and therefore acting as an antigen to other members of the same species.

Nearby words

allotropic, allotropism, allotropous, allotropy, allottee, allotype, allover, allow, allow for, allowable, allowable cut

Origin of allotype

1915–20; allo- + type; in immunological sense, probably back formation from allotypy < French allotypie, coined in 1956

Related forms

al·lo·typ·ic

[al-uh-tip-ik] /ˌæl əˈtɪp ɪk/, adjectiveal·lo·typ·i·cal·ly, adverbal·lo·typ·y

[al-uh-tahy-pee] /ˈæl əˌtaɪ pi/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for allotype

allotype

/ (ˈæləˌtaɪp) /

noun

biology an additional type specimen selected because of differences from the original type specimen, such as opposite sex or morphological details

immunol any of the variant forms of a particular immunoglobulin found among members of the same species

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

Medicine definitions for allotype

allotype

[ ăl′ə-tīp′ ]

n.

Any of the genetically determined variants in the constant region of a given subclass of immunoglobulin that is detectable as an antigen by members of the same species having a different constant region.

Related forms

al′lo•typ′ic (-tĭp′ĭk) adj.