Mendel's law

American  

noun

Genetics.

1. law of segregation.

2. law of independent assortment.

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Mendel's law Scientific  

/ mĕn′dlz /

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

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Etymology

Origin of Mendel's law

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Although chromosomes sort independently into gametes during meiosis, Mendel’s law of independent assortment refers to genes, not chromosomes, and a single chromosome may carry more than 1,000 genes.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

This results in offspring ratios that violate Mendel’s law of independent assortment.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Which cellular process underlies Mendel’s law of independent assortment?

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

According to Mendel’s law of independent assortment, genes sort independently of each other into gametes during meiosis.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

As to the first, they give in their hybrids stable peculiarities, while as to the latter, they split up according to Mendel's law.

From Species and Varieties, Their Origin by Mutation by Vries, Hugo de