Genotype

📖 Full definition

Genotype is the complete genetic composition, i.e. the DNA sequence. For a given trait (eye color for instance), a person can be homozygous (two identical alleles) or heterozygous (two different alleles). It is the genotype that is transmitted to offspring, but the phenotype that is seen.

💡 Concrete example

A blue-eyed mother (bb genotype) and brown-eyed father (Bb genotype) will have a 50% chance of having a blue-eyed child, even though the father visually has brown eyes.

🔄 Synonyms

genetic code · genetic makeup

🔗 See also

• Phenotype →