recessive trait

Cultural  

1. In genetics, a trait that must be contributed by both parents in order to appear in the offspring. Recessive traits can be carried in a person's genes without appearing in that person. For example, a dark-haired person may have one gene for dark hair, which is a dominant trait, and one gene for light hair, which is recessive. It is thus possible for two dark-haired parents to have a light-haired child, provided each parent contributes a gene for light hair.

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Example Sentences

"We knew albinism was an inherited recessive trait, but we didn't know which gene was responsible," Stroupe said.

From Science Daily • Nov. 20, 2023

It’s a recessive trait that runs in his father’s side of the family.

From Washington Post • Jan. 11, 2023

Conversely, the observation of a recessive trait meant that the organism lacked any dominant versions of this characteristic.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

So assuming that green is the recessive trait of oblong-winged katydids, are how is it that North America is littered when greens, not the candy-coloured pinks or yellows or oranges?

From Scientific American • Aug. 14, 2013

Since tallness was dominant, all the parental plants in this experiment were tall to start; the recessive trait had disappeared.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee