autotetraploidy
|au-to-tet-ra-ploy-di|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔːtoʊˌtɛtrəˈplɔɪdi/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔːtəʊˌtɛtrəˈplɔɪdi/
self-origin 4-fold chromosome sets
Etymology
'autotetraploidy' is formed from Greek elements: 'auto-' from Greek 'autós' meaning 'self', 'tetra-' from Greek 'tettares' meaning 'four', and 'ploidy' from Greek-derived Modern Latin 'ploidy' indicating 'fold' or 'multiple sets'.
The modern scientific term developed by combining the prefix 'auto-' with 'tetraploidy' (which itself combines 'tetra-' + 'ploidy') in 20th-century biological literature to specify tetraploidy arising within a single species.
Originally built from roots meaning 'self' + 'four' + 'multiple/fold', the compound has come to denote specifically the cytogenetic condition of having four chromosome sets originating from the same species.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a form of polyploidy in which an organism has four complete sets of chromosomes derived from the same species (i.e., tetraploidy produced by chromosome duplication within a single species).
Autotetraploidy can alter plant morphology and fertility because having four sets of chromosomes affects gene dosage and expression.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/29 03:42