Dictionary

1recessive

adjective re·ces·sive \ri-ˈse-siv\

biology : causing or relating to a characteristic or condition that a child will have only if both of the child's parents have it

Full Definition of RECESSIVE

1
a :  tending to recede
b :  withdrawn 2
2
a :  producing little or no phenotypic effect when occurring in heterozygous condition with a contrasting allele <recessive genes>
b :  expressed only when the determining gene is in the homozygous condition <recessive traits> <a recessive disease>
re·ces·sive·ly adverb
re·ces·sive·ness noun
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First Known Use of RECESSIVE

circa 1673

2recessive

noun

Definition of RECESSIVE

1
:  an organism possessing one or more recessive characters
2
:  a recessive character or gene

First Known Use of RECESSIVE

1900
RECESSIVE Defined for Kids

recessive

adjective re·ces·sive \ri-ˈse-siv\

Definition of RECESSIVE for Kids

:  being or produced by a form of a gene whose effect can be hidden by a dominant gene and which can produce a noticeable effect only when two copies of the gene are present <Blue eye color is a recessive trait.>

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