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heterogametic

American  
[het-uh-roh-guh-met-ik] / ˌhɛt ə roʊ gəˈmɛt ɪk /

adjective

Genetics.

  1. (of a species or individual organism) having two unlike gametes.

heterogametic British  
/ ˌhɛtərəʊɡəˈmɛtɪk /

adjective

  1. genetics denoting the sex that possesses dissimilar sex chromosomes. In humans and many other mammals it is the male sex, possessing one X-chromosome and one Y-chromosome Compare homogametic

"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

Etymology

Origin of heterogametic

First recorded in 1905–10; hetero- + gametic ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In birds, the system is reversed: females are the heterogametic sex.

From Science Daily • Oct. 28, 2025

One possible explanation, known as the heterogametic sex hypothesis, links these differences to sex chromosomes.

From Science Daily • Oct. 28, 2025

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.