heterogametic
adjective
het·ero·ga·met·ic
ˌhe-tə-rō-gə-ˈme-tik 
-ˈmē-
-ˈmē-
: forming two kinds of gametes of which one produces male offspring and the other female offspring
the human male is heterogametic
Examples of heterogametic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In humans females are homogametic, XX, and males are heterogametic, XY.
—
Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 28 Apr. 2011
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 28 Apr. 2011
Cite this Entry
“Heterogametic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heterogametic. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
heterogametic
adjective
het·ero·ga·met·ic
-gə-ˈmet-ik
-ˈmēt-
-ˈmēt-
: forming two kinds of gametes of which one determines offspring of one sex and the other determines offspring of the opposite sex
the human male is heterogametic
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share