allele

noun

al·​lele ə-ˈlēl How to pronounce allele (audio)
1
: any of the alternative forms of a gene that may occur at a given locus (see locus sense 3)
2
: either of a pair of alternative Mendelian characters (see character entry 1 sense 1b(3)) (such as smooth and wrinkled seed in the pea)
allelic adjective
allelism noun

Examples of allele in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Among domestic dogs, 75 percent of those under about 30 pounds had two copies of the IGF-1 gene variant that the researchers termed the C allele and 75 percent of dogs that weighed more than around 50 pounds had two copies of the T allele. Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Jan. 2022 The allele found in Europeans is dominant in West Asia, and present as frequencies as high as ~50% as far south and east as Sri Lanka. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 11 Sep. 2013 This locus has an allele within it that is almost disjoint in frequency between Europeans and Sub-Saharan Africans. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 11 Sep. 2013 In wild canids, wolves usually had two copies of the large allele with a few exceptions, while non-wolf species including foxes, jackals and African hunting dogs all had two copies of the small allele. Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Jan. 2022 This mutation creates a point of variation, resulting in what the team describes as either a small allele or a large allele. NBC News, 27 Jan. 2022 The toy and miniature schnauzers analyzed in the study contained the small allele, while the giant schnauzers contained the large allele. NBC News, 27 Jan. 2022 The places where those repeats occur on a chromosome are called alleles. Gina Barton, USA TODAY, 17 June 2023 According to Blum, a particular genetic variant of the D2R gene, the A1 allele of the Taq1A polymorphism, is the cause of many, perhaps even most, cases of addiction. Neuroskeptic, Discover Magazine, 5 July 2015 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'allele.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

perhaps as back-formation from allelism, from allel- (in allelomorph) + -ism

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of allele was in 1921

Dictionary Entries Near allele

Cite this Entry

“Allele.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allele. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

allele

noun
al·​lele ə-ˈlē(ə)l How to pronounce allele (audio)
: one of several forms of a gene that determine alternate forms of one or more genetic traits and occupy identical places on two chromosomes having the same genes arranged in the same order
allelic
-ˈlē-lik How to pronounce allele (audio)
-ˈlel-ik
adjective

Medical Definition

allele

noun
al·​lele ə-ˈlē(ə)l How to pronounce allele (audio)
1
: any of the alternative forms of a gene that may occur at a given locus
2
: either of a pair of alternative Mendelian characters (as ability versus inability to taste the chemical phenylthiocarbamide)
allelic adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on allele

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