Definition

An organism that carries two identical alleles for a specific gene, meaning both copies of the gene are the same.

Example

The homozygote for the trait showed consistent characteristics in the offspring.

Conversation

Have you ever heard of a homozygote?

Yeah, it's when an organism has the same alleles, right?

Exactly! I was reading about it in my biology class today.

That's cool! Genetics can be really fascinating.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Homozygote → It is formed from "homo-" (from Greek "homos", meaning same) and "zygote" (from Greek "zygotos", meaning joined or yoked). The word refers to an organism that has two identical alleles for a particular gene, hence the concept of being 'the same' in genetic makeup.

Memory Tip

Think of 'same' ('homo-') and 'joined' ('zygote') to remember that a homozygote has identical alleles that are joined together.

Visually Confused Words