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Biology vocabulary · Genetics and Heredity

Phenotype

Meaning in biology, with examples

/ˈfiːnəˌtaɪp/nounCommon term

In biology, phenotype means: The observable characteristics of an organism, such as height, color or blood type, which result from its genotype together with the environment.

In Turkish: fenotip

How it is used

Used in genetics, breeding and medicine. Researchers describe a mutant phenotype, a wild-type phenotype and phenotypic differences. Two organisms can share a phenotype but have different genotypes: PP and Pp pea plants both have purple flowers.

Example sentences

  1. The knockout mice showed no obvious phenotype until they were exposed to cold.

  2. Identical twins share a genotype, but their phenotypes can differ slightly because of the environment.

Common collocations

  • mutant phenotype
  • wild-type phenotype
  • observable phenotype
  • phenotypic variation
  • genotypeThe genetic makeup of an organism, especially the pair of alleles it carries for a particular gene, such as PP, Pp or pp.
  • traitA characteristic of an organism, such as eye color, flower shape or blood type. Some traits are inherited through genes, while others are shaped by the environment.
  • alleleOne of the different versions of the same gene. For example, a gene for flower color may have one allele for purple flowers and another for white.
  • gene expressionThe process by which the information in a gene is used to make a product, usually a protein. It includes transcription of DNA into RNA and translation of RNA into protein.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Genetics and Heredity

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