wild type

American  

noun

Genetics.

1. an organism having an appearance that is characteristic of the species in a natural breeding population.

2. the form or forms of a gene commonly occurring in nature in a given species.

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wild type British  

noun

1. biology the typical form of a species of organism resulting from breeding under natural conditions

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Other Word Forms

• wild-type
  adjective

Compare meaning

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

• wild type vs. mutant

Example Sentences

Planned after wild type 2 poliovirus had been eradicated, the switch—which the report calls “the largest coordinated public health effort in history”—was like a trial run for that ultimate goal.

From Science Magazine • May 7, 2024

In the current study, researchers noted that wild type wounded mice healed quite well, but the skin of transgenic mice devoid of microRNA-29 regenerated even better.

From Science Daily • Feb. 1, 2024

In August, virus trackers discovered a new strain — BA.2.86, nicknamed “Pirola” — that was as genetically different from Omicron as Omicron was from the original "wild type" strain from Wuhan, China.

From Salon • Oct. 29, 2023

These plants were grown by single-seed descent for up to 32 generations from wild type exposed to different environments or from natural strains from distinct geographical origins.

From Science Daily • Sep. 29, 2023

The order in which these mutations occurred bears no relation to their size; each originated independently from the wild type.

From A Critique of the Theory of Evolution by Morgan, Thomas Hunt