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polyploid

American  
[pol-ee-ploid] / ˈpɒl iˌplɔɪd /

adjective

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


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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. an individual or cell of this type

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
polyploid Scientific  
/ pŏlē-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.


Other Word Forms

  • polyploidal adjective
  • polyploidic adjective
  • polyploidy noun

Etymology

Origin of polyploid

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

Vocabulary lists containing polyploid

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.

In a recent study, published in Science, the researchers show that the pollen tube does not grow properly in newly formed polyploid plants.

From Science Daily • Apr. 16, 2024

The ETH researchers have observed that in newly formed polyploid plants, the pollen tube does not grow straight, nor is it sufficiently long.

From Science Daily • Apr. 16, 2024

The polyploid plants proved more resilient, he reported at the May meeting.

From Science Magazine • Aug. 23, 2023

Most important, if they inhibited the creation of polyploid cells by tinkering with genes needed for chromosome doubling or cell fusion, wounds failed to heal.

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