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

The dominant lethal inheritance pattern is one in which an allele is lethal both in the homozygote and the heterozygote; this allele can only be transmitted if the lethality phenotype occurs after reproductive age.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

This hierarchy, or allelic series, was revealed by observing the phenotypes of each possible heterozygote offspring.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Figure 12.5 A test cross can be performed to determine whether an organism expressing a dominant trait is a homozygote or a heterozygote.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

For instance, the recessive lethal Curly allele in Drosophila affects wing shape in the heterozygote form but is lethal in the homozygote.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

The heterozygote individual in typical cases shows the dominant character.

From Hormones and Heredity by Cunningham, J. T.