Mendel's law

noun Men·del's law \ˈmen-d^əlz-\

Definition of MENDEL'S LAW

: a principle in genetics: hereditary units occur in pairs that separate during gamete formation so that every gamete receives but one member of a pair —called also law of segregation

: a principle in genetics limited and modified by the subsequent discovery of the phenomenon of linkage: the different pairs of hereditary units are distributed to the gametes independently of each other, the gametes combine at random, and the various combinations of hereditary pairs occur in the zygotes according to the laws of chance —called also law of independent assortment

: a principle in genetics proved subsequently to be subject to many limitations: because one of each pair of hereditary units dominates the other in expression, characters are inherited alternatively on an all-or-nothing basis —called also law of dominance

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Origin of MENDEL'S LAW

Gregor Mendel

First Known Use: 1903

Rhymes with MENDEL'S LAW

Arkansas, blue-sky law, canon law, Chickasaw, civil law, clapperclaw, common-law, crosscut saw, decree-law, devil's claw, foofaraw, higher law, homestead law, in the raw, keyhole saw, Kiowa, lantern jaw, lemon law, lumpy jaw, Mackinac, mackinaw, Morgenthau, Murphy's Law, overawe, overdraw, panama, private law, public law, roman law, saber saw, Saginaw, Salic law, son-in-law, tragic flaw, usquebaugh, Wichita, williwaw, windlestraw, Yakima

Medical Dictionary

Mendel's law

noun Men·del's law \ˌmen-d^əlz-\

Medical Definition of MENDEL'S LAW

: a principle in genetics: hereditary units occur in pairs that separate during gamete formation so that every gamete receives but one member of a pair—called also law of segregation

: a principle in genetics proved subsequently to be subject to many limitations: because one of each pair of hereditary units dominates the other in expression, characters are inherited as alternatives on an all-or-nothing basis—called also law of dominance