unit character

American  

noun

Genetics.

1. a characteristic, usually controlled by a single gene, that is transmitted as a unit in heredity.

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unit character British  

noun

1. genetics a character inherited as a single unit and dependent on a single gene

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Etymology

Origin of unit character

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

unit character

Other decals boasted unit character through their fearsome, comical or fanciful logos: thunderbirds, doves, seahorses, wolves, warthogs, lions, tigers, bears, cobras, elephants, alligators, sharks.

From New York Times ● Jul. 20, 2012

It is a good example of a unit character.

From Applied Eugenics by Paul Popenoe

How can one speak of a unit character, when the "unit" has an infinite number of values?

From Applied Eugenics by Paul Popenoe

To say, then, that any mental trait is a unit character, or that it is due to a single germinal difference, is to go beyond both the evidence and the probabilities.

From Applied Eugenics by Paul Popenoe

The reckless use of the phrase "unit character" has done much to mislead the uninitiated as to the effects that a single change in the germ plasm may produce on the organism.

From A Critique of the Theory of Evolution by Thomas Hunt Morgan