genetics

[ juh-net-iks ]

noun

, (used with a singular verb)

1. Biology. the science of heredity, dealing with resemblances and differences of related organisms resulting from the interaction of their genes and the environment.
2. the genetic properties and phenomena of an organism.

genetics

/ dʒɪˈnɛtɪks /

noun

1. functioning as singular the branch of biology concerned with the study of heredity and variation in organisms
2. the genetic features and constitution of a single organism, species, or group

genetics

/ jə-nĕt′ĭks /

1. The scientific study of the principles of heredity and the variation of inherited traits among related organisms.

genetics

1. The study of heredity , or how the characteristics of living things are transmitted from one generation to the next. Every living thing contains the genetic material that makes up DNA molecules . This material is passed on when organisms reproduce. The basic unit of heredity is the gene . ( See chromosomes ; dominant trait ; genetic code ; Gregor Mendel ; recessive trait ; and sexual reproduction .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of genetics¹

First recorded in 1905; genetic, -ics; term first proposed in this sense by British biologist William Bateson (1861–1926)

Example Sentences

Grant chooses goofy professor over, say, conflicted wannabe monk, and offers, if nothing else, a reminder that a boyish smile and twinkling blue eyes are simply quirks of genetics rather than reflections of humanity.

From Los Angeles Times

Environmental pollution is a risk factor for congenital abnormalities, alongside genetics, maternal age, infection and nutrition, she says.

From BBC

Modern genetics has enabled scientists to do much more: to make precise, targeted changes to the DNA of organisms in a lab.

From BBC

Likewise, Prof Mizeck Chagunda, who is the director of the Centre for Tropical Genetics and Health, which is also based at the Roslin Institute, believes both in the positive potential of gene editing and that it needs to be carefully overseen.

From BBC

The father, who was born in London but spent much of his childhood in Nigeria, told the court he began spending more and more time involved in conspiracy theories while studying for a degree in medical genetics in London.

From BBC

Related Words

• ancestry
• lineage