phenotype
- 01 C1 Advanced
n.the set of physical traits you can see in a living thing, like its height, hair colour, or how it behaves.
n.the observable physical, physiological, or behavioural characteristics of an organism, resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment.
Simple“The plant's phenotype included bright red flowers and very short stems.”
In context“Researchers observed that the identical twins developed different phenotypes in adulthood due to their contrasting diets and exercise habits.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 C2 Proficiency
v.to study or group living things based on their physical characteristics.
v.to determine, evaluate, or classify an organism based on its observable physical or biochemical traits.
Simple“The scientists had to phenotype each mouse before starting the next stage of the experiment.”
In context“The laboratory team spent months phenotyping the various bacterial strains to identify which ones were resistant to the new antibiotic.”
UsageThis verb is almost exclusively used in laboratory or clinical research contexts.
Synonyms
“Using a computer model, she selected 14 locations on the DNA where these markers differed across sex phenotypes.”
From pheno- + -type. (Date to be specified). From Ancient Greek φαίνω (phaínō, “to shine, to show, to appear”) and Ancient Greek τύπος (túpos, “mark, type”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.