diploid

[ dip-loid ]

adjective

1. double; twofold.
2. Biology. having two similar complements of chromosomes.

noun

1. Biology. an organism or cell having double the basic haploid number of chromosomes.
2. Crystallography. a solid belonging to the isometric system and having 24 trapezoidal planes.

diploid

/ ˈdɪplɔɪd /

adjective

1. biology (of cells or organisms) having pairs of homologous chromosomes so that twice the haploid number is present
2. double or twofold

noun

1. biology a diploid cell or organism

diploid

/ dĭp′loid′ /

1. Having paired sets of chromosomes in a cell or cell nucleus. In diploid organisms that reproduce sexually, one set of chromosomes is inherited from each parent. The somatic cells of most animals are diploid.
2. Compare haploidSee Note at mitosis

Derived Forms

• dipˈloidic, adjective
• ˈdiploidy, noun

Other Words From

• dip·loidic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of diploid¹

First recorded in 1905–10; dipl(o)- + -oid

Example Sentences

The teams expect to have the so-called diploid human genome sequence completed by the end of the year.

From Time

As you may recall, nearly all animals are diploid, meaning they carry two copies of their genome.

From Nautilus

There are several kinds of naturally occurring diploid potatoes.

From MIT Technology Review

Many major crops such as corn already use hybrid diploid breeding, and we know a lot about the “parent” crops involved in any given cross.

From MIT Technology Review

In animals, as in plants, the diploid generation attained the higher development and gradually assumed the dominant position.

From Project Gutenberg

The uninitiated sees in the more highly organised plants only a succession of diploid generations.

From Project Gutenberg

Similarly all the higher animals appear to us as independent organisms with diploid nuclei only.

From Project Gutenberg

They appear with this arrangement in all subsequent nuclear divisions in the diploid generation.

From Project Gutenberg

Diploid (2n) chromosome numbers were determined from cells in late prophase and metaphase of mitosis.

From Project Gutenberg