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

• polyploidal adjective
• polyploidic adjective
• polyploidy noun

Etymology

Origin of polyploid

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

Example Sentences

The MiMe system and its application in polyploid genome engineering could be one promising avenue to tackle today's agricultural challenges.

From Science Daily

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

From Science Daily

PlantServation also enabled the scientists to experimentally replicate what happens after the natural speciation of a hybrid polyploid species.

From Science Daily

But polyploid organisms have all of the DNA from both parents, meaning they have twice as much DNA.

From NewsForKids.net

Van de Peer’s team found, for example, that some species of Arabidopsis, a genus often used in plant biology studies, became polyploid during cold spells over the past 2 million years.

From Science Magazine