Mendel's law

noun

Genetics.

1. law of segregation.

2. law of independent assortment.

Mendel's law

1. Any of the principles first proposed by Gregor Mendel to describe the inheritance of traits passed from one generation to the next.

2. ◆ Mendel's first law (also called the law of segregation) states that during the formation of reproductive cells (gametes), pairs of hereditary factors (genes) for a specific trait separate so that offspring receive one factor from each parent.

3. ◆ Mendel's second law (also called the law of independent assortment) states that chance determines which factor for a particular trait is inherited.

4. ◆ Mendel's third law (also called the law of dominance) states that one of the factors for a pair of inherited traits will be dominant and the other recessive, unless both factors are recessive.

5. See more at inheritance

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mendel's law¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

He penned a poem called “Mendel’s Law: A Plea for a Better Race of Men” and which read in part:

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For "Mendel's Law," see Correns in Ber. d. deutsch. bot.

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This is the problem of the diverse modes of hereditary transmission, which we know in some cases to be expressible in a formula, such as Mendel's law or Galton's law, and for which we can sometimes hazard a hypothetical physiological interpretation.

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After he had enunciated the principles of Eugenics, Mendel's law of heredity was revived and applied to the problem.

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Blending Styles Musical mergers have bred mixtures that all but defy Mendel's law.

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