mosaicism

American

[moh-zay-uh-siz-uhm] / moʊˈzeɪ əˌsɪz əm /

noun

Biology.

a condition in which an organism or part is composed of two or more genetically distinct tissues owing to experimental manipulation or to faulty distribution of genetic material during mitosis.

Etymology

Origin of mosaicism

First recorded in 1925–30; mosaic + -ism

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

mosaicism

Instead, it creates a mix of cells with and without the Y chromosome, a condition known as mosaicism.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 20, 2026

As men get older, they become more vulnerable to another type of mosaicism in which the Y chromosome vanishes from some of their cells.

From Science Magazine ● Aug. 15, 2023

This mix of cell lines is called mosaicism.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 1, 2022

A first pregnancy is questioned when test results indicate abnormal chromosomes — mosaicism — in the unborn child.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 2, 2021

Other researchers have reported mosaicism in efforts to edit human embryos for research purposes.

From Nature ● Nov. 29, 2018

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023