pleiotropic

adjective

pleio·tro·pic ˌplī-ə-ˈtrō-pik

-ˈträ-

: producing more than one effect

especially : having multiple phenotypic expressions

a pleiotropic gene

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web For example, the xol-1 mutant which produced maleless populations may have had pleiotropic effects. —

Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 13 Jan. 2011 Stephen Hsu of Michigan State University, one of Genomic Prediction’s founders, acknowledges the theoretical risk of this, but argues that serious pleiotropic effects are unlikely. —

The Economist, 7 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pleiotropic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.