polyploid

American  

[pol-ee-ploid] / ˈpɒl iˌplɔɪd /

adjective

1. having a chromosome number that is more than double the basic or haploid number.

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noun

1. a polyploid cell or organism.

polyploid British  

/ ˈpɒlɪˌplɔɪd /

adjective

1. (of cells, organisms, etc) having more than twice the basic (haploid) number of chromosomes

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noun

1. an individual or cell of this type

polyploid Scientific  

/ pŏl′ē-ploid′ /

1. Having more than two complete sets of chromosomes. Many plants that are polyploid, such as dandelions, are sterile but can reproduce by apomixis or other asexual means. Other polyploid plants are fertile. For example, durum wheat (Triticum turgidum durum), which is used to make pasta, is tetraploid (it has four sets of chromosomes), while bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) is hexaploid (six sets of chromosomes). Polyploid plants, if viable, are often larger or more productive than diploid plants, and plant breeders often deliberately produce such plants by crossing species or other means. In the animal kingdom, polyploidy is abnormal and often fatal.

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Other Word Forms

• polyploidy
  noun
• polyploidal
  adjective
• polyploidic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of polyploid

First recorded in 1915–20; poly- + -ploid

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

polyploid

But there's just one thing: newly formed polyploid individuals of a plant species are usually completely or almost completely sterile and cannot be propagated easily.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 16, 2024

However, newly formed polyploid plants are often sterile or have reduced fertility and are unsuitable for breeding resistant lines.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 16, 2024

As polyploid cells emerge as common and seemingly crucial, this once obscure topic is now bringing together cancer researchers, developmental biologists, evolutionary biologists, cell biologists, and agricultural scientists.

From Science Magazine ● Aug. 23, 2023

When she and Fox looked at the fly wound sites a few days later, they saw signs that these so-called polyploid cells, and not stem cells, were the major wound healers.

From Science Magazine ● Aug. 23, 2023

Yesterday Mr. Bolten asked the question whether or not some walnuts that have large nuts could possibly be tetraploid or polyploid.

From Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the 43rd Annual Meeting Rockport, Indiana, August 25, 26 and 27, 1952 by Northern Nut Growers Association