Mendel's law

American  

noun

Genetics.

1. law of segregation.

2. law of independent assortment.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of Mendel's law

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Mendel's law

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 physical basis of Mendel’s law of segregation is the first division of meiosis, in which the homologous chromosomes with their different versions of each gene are segregated into daughter nuclei.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

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

Mendel’s law of dominance states that in a heterozygote, one trait will conceal the presence of another trait for the same characteristic.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 25, 2013

Mendel's law is a scientific curiosity like the aeroplane.

From The Dollar Hen by Hastings, Milo M. (Milo Milton)