law of independent assortment

American  

noun

Genetics.

1. the principle, originated by Gregor Mendel, stating that when two or more characteristics are inherited, individual hereditary factors assort independently during gamete production, giving different traits an equal opportunity of occurring together.

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law of independent assortment Scientific  

1. See under Mendel's law

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Etymology

Origin of law of independent assortment

First recorded in 1940–45

Compare meaning

How does law-of-independent-assortment compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• law of independent assortment vs. law of segregation

Example Sentences

Finally there is the law of independent assortment, which found that genes with different traits can segregate from each other independently while gametes are being formed.

From Salon • Jun. 6, 2023

The physical basis for the law of independent assortment also lies in meiosis I, in which the different homologous pairs line up in random orientations.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Although chromosomes sort independently into gametes during meiosis, Mendel’s law of independent assortment refers to genes, not chromosomes.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

The law of independent assortment states that a gamete into which an r allele is sorted would be equally likely to contain either a Y or a y allele.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

The second law of Mendel may be called the law of independent assortment of different character pairs.

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