recombination

American  

[ree-kom-buh-ney-shuhn] / ˌri kɒm bəˈneɪ ʃən /

Genetics.

1. the formation of new combinations of genes, either naturally, by crossing over or independent assortment, or in the laboratory by direct manipulation of genetic material.

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recombination British  

/ ˌriːkɒmbɪˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. genetics any of several processes by which genetic material of different origins becomes combined. It most commonly occurs between two sets of parental chromosomes during production of germ cells

2. physics the union of free electrons and holes in a semiconductor or of free ions and electrons in a plasma

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Etymology

Origin of recombination

1820–30, for general sense; 1900–05 for current sense; re- + combination

Explanation

In genetics, recombination is the process of two organisms exchanging pieces of genetic material. It's through recombination that two brown-eyed parents can end up with a blue-eyed baby. Recombination is responsible for genetic diversity — in other words, for offspring that aren't just like their parents. It happens at various stages of reproduction, notably during meiosis when chromosomes swap segments of DNA. This science term comes up in chemistry and physics as well, when molecules bond together or ions and electrons are joined. Recombination, "be united again," comes from the Late Latin combinationem, "a joining together two by two."

Example Sentences

The study suggests that recombination may play a key role in this recovery.

From Science Daily • Mar. 6, 2026

It's not just the resurgence of ancient diseases, but the fact that pathogens can and will trade genetic information if they come into contact with one another, a process known as viral recombination.

From Salon • Apr. 24, 2025

XEC is a recombination of two different, little-discussed subvariants: KS.1.1 and KP.3.3,

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 30, 2024

When creating sperm or eggs, a bird—like a human—randomly mixes the maternal and paternal copies of genes it inherits in a process known as sexual recombination.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 31, 2024

In 1946 Joshua, then only twenty, burst upon the biological world by announcing that bacteria mated and showed genetic recombination.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson