Mendelian
|men-del-i-an|
🇺🇸
/ˌmɛnˈdiːliən/
🇬🇧
/ˌmɛnˈdiːlɪən/
relating to Mendel's laws
Etymology
'Mendelian' originates from the name 'Mendel', specifically Gregor Mendel, where 'Mendel' is the surname of the scientist.
'Mendelian' was formed by adding the English adjectival suffix '-ian' to 'Mendel' (late 19th to early 20th century) to denote relation to Mendel or his work; it entered scientific usage as genetics developed.
Initially it meant 'of or relating to Mendel (or his observations)'; over time it came to mean more specifically 'following Mendel's laws of inheritance' and to denote the body of classical genetic principles.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person who studies or supports Mendel's theories or an organism exhibiting inheritance patterns consistent with Mendel's laws.
Early Mendelians investigated discrete inheritance patterns in peas and other organisms.
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Antonyms
Adjective 1
relating to Gregor Mendel, his principles, or the patterns of inheritance that follow Mendel's laws (e.g., single-gene inheritance with dominant and recessive alleles).
Mendelian inheritance describes how certain traits are transmitted from parents to offspring according to predictable ratios.
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Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/08 02:14