noun
allele
uh-LEEL/əˈliːl/
A variant form of a gene at a specific location on a chromosome.
These matching chromosomes carry different alleles at the same marked location.
Etymology
Allel shortens allelomorph, “alternative form of a gene,” coined with Greek elements meaning “one another” and “form.” The name emphasizes the relationship between alternative versions of a gene.
In context
the population are Big C and 30 of them are little C that's the allele frequency of the tomato color Gene in that population evolution is simply the change and allele frequencies in a population over time
More examples
- A child inherits one allele of this gene from each parent.
- This allele increases the risk of a certain disease.
- The test identifies which alleles of the gene are present.
Forms
allele · alleles
allelic adjective — Relating to variant forms of a gene.
Similar words
- variant
- Broader term for a genetic difference, not necessarily a gene form.