haploid
/ˈhæplɔɪd/ adjective, noun
Forms haploids
- adjective (genetics, loosely) Having the number of chromosomes that a typical gamete has (in the given organism), namely, half the number that a typical somatic cell has (in the given organism).
- adjective (genetics, strictly) Having a single set of unpaired chromosomes (which is the number that a typical gamete has in many organisms although not all). “Examples of haploid cells are prokaryotes and the gametes of eukaryotes.”
- noun A cell which is haploid.
- noun An organism, such as a fungus, with haploid cells.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From haplo- + -oid, Ancient Greek roots meaning, together, literally “simplex” or “onefoldlike”, from ᾰ̔πλόος (hăplóos, “single, simple”, literally “onefold”) and -ειδής (-eidḗs, “-like”).
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “haploid”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details