Genetics Meaning
/dʒəˈnɛt.ɪks/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounThe branch of biology that deals with the transmission and variation of inherited characteristics, in particular chromosomes and DNA.
nounThe genetic makeup of a specific individual or species.
Sentence Examples
You won't see protein purification in a genetics course.
You can't blame genetics!
CEFR Practice Quiz
She studied ____ in college to understand how traits are passed.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The study of ____ helps us understand how certain traits and characteristics are inherited over many generations.
Word Origin & History
From Ancient Greek γένεσις (génesis, “origin”). Coined by English biologist William Bateson in 1905 in a letter to zoologist Adam Sedgwick, and first used publicly by Bateson at a lecture to the International Conference on Plant Hybridization in 1906.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"If we want to raise mangels that will not run to seed, or to breed a cow that will give more milk in less time, or milk with more butter and less water, we can turn to Genetics with every hope that something can be done in these laudable directions."
— 1908, William Bateson, The Methods and Scope of Genetics: An Inaugural Lecture Delivered 23 October 1908:
"Genetics has shown that people are different, and these differences cluster according to geography and culture, but never in a way that aligns with the traditional concepts of human races."
— 2017, Adam Rutherford, A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived, The Experiment, →ISBN, page 263:
"In commentary accompanying the research, Samira Asgari, an assistant professor in genetics and genomic sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, said that it was crucial to extend these types of studies beyond Europe to other regions to “better understand how differences in population history might have contributed to the risk of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.”"
— 2024 January 11, Katie Hunt, “Gene that protected humans 5,000 years ago may be linked to debilitating modern disease”, in CNN:
"As a result of your father’s, mother’s, and their parents genetics, you are born with a genetic structure that is dealt to you at conception. […] Our ancestry determines our genetics."
— 2005, Mark Linden O’Meara, The Feeling Soul: A Roadmap to Healing and Living, Soul Care Publishing, →ISBN, page 45:
"This amazing occurrence made my head go bong to say the least; it was obvious that Elizabeth had not been “schizophrenic” because of her genetics, nor because of stress, nor malnutrition, nor hypoglycemia, nor because of any of the causes of mental illness that I had learned and rectify, but because of food allergies"
— 2006, Jay Irvin, Fire Your Doctor!: How and When to be Your Own Best Medical Advisor, →ISBN, page 18:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
She studied ____ in college to understand how traits are passed.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The study of ____ helps us understand how certain traits and characteristics are inherited over many generations.