heterozygote

American  

[het-er-uh-zahy-goht, -zig-oht] / ˌhɛt ər əˈzaɪ goʊt, -ˈzɪg oʊt /

noun

Genetics.

1. a person, animal, or other organism with a pair of differing alleles, one dominant and one recessive, of a particular gene.

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heterozygote British  

/ -ˈzɪɡəʊt, ˌhɛtərəʊˈzaɪɡəʊt /

noun

1. an animal or plant that is heterozygous; a hybrid Compare homozygote

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Other Word Forms

• heterozygosis
  noun

Etymology

Origin of heterozygote

First recorded in 1900–05; hetero- + zygote

Explanation

A heterozygote is a living thing that has two different versions of a given gene. If a cat inherits a gene for black fur from its mother and one for gray fur from its father, it is a heterozygote. The different forms of a gene are called alleles. Organisms inherit one allele for each gene from their biological parents. If those genes are different — e.g., one for gray fur, and one for black fur — the offspring is a heterozygote with respect to fur color. What color fur will a heterozygous cat have? It depends on which gene is dominant. Since the gene for black fur is dominant, the cat would be black. However, the cat could pass on the non-dominant, or recessive, gene to its offspring.

Example Sentences

However, the heterozygote phenotype occasionally does appear to be intermediate between the two parents.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Codominance describes the simultaneous expression of both of the alleles in the heterozygote.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Thus, there are four equally likely gametes that can be formed when the YyRr heterozygote is self-crossed, as follows: YR, Yr, yR, and yr.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Thus, there are four equally likely gametes that can be formed when the RrYy heterozygote is self-crossed, as follows: RY, rY, Ry, and ry.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

The two segregate in the gametes of the hybrid or heterozygote, and if a recessive gamete is fertilised by another recessive gamete the single comb reappears.

From Hormones and Heredity by Cunningham, J. T.