phenotype

1 of 2

noun

phe·​no·​type ˈfē-nə-ˌtīp 

plural phenotypes

1

: the observable characteristics or traits of an organism that are produced by the interaction of the genotype and the environment : the physical expression of one or more genes

Considering that modern maize is a tetraploid, it is remarkable how many single gene mutations cause profound changes in phenotype.

—Virginia Walbot

A breed is a group of genetically related individuals with a common phenotype—physical characteristics, such as ear and muzzle shapes, and behavioral tendencies, such as those of a retriever to swim or a border collie to herd …

—Mark Derr

Phenotype is how that DNA physically manifests itself—in this case, as the susceptibility to disease, or the progression of disease, or the susceptibility of the disease itself to treatment, all of which likely have a genetic component.

—Gary Taubes

2

: the observable characteristics or traits of a disease

… a mild disorder whose clinical phenotype overlaps with that of the Marfan syndrome …

—Petros Tsipouras et al.

phenotypic

ˌfē-nə-ˈti-pik 

adjective

or less commonly phenotypical

ˌfē-nə-ˈti-pi-kəl 

phenotypic variation

phenotypic expression

phenotypically

ˌfē-nə-ˈti-pi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

phenotypically similar populations

phenotype

2 of 2

verb

phenotyped; phenotyping; phenotypes

transitive verb

: to determine, analyze, or predict all or part of a phenotype of

Red cells were phenotyped as M + or M -.

—Raymond L. Comenzo et al.

… a team … recently decided to examine the data collected so far to determine how many of the phenotyped mice had eye problems.

—Michelle Wong

The asthma in these patients was not phenotyped. We do not have any information regarding the eosinophil count or other markers such as exhaled oral nitric oxide in these subjects.

—Faria Nasim

Examples of phenotype in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The most advanced models can even predict some of the large-scale characteristics of a bacterial cell, its phenotype, given the organism’s genetic code. —The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 30 Sep. 2024

There were some novel phenotypes–or the characteristics like eye color or hair color that comes from a specific gene. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 1 Aug. 2024

Verb

The European Union spent some €250 million (about US $300 million) between 2005 and 2015 on plant phenotyping research infrastructure, and American crop giants and government agencies are spending millions on this research alongside major breeding companies such as Syngenta and Bayer. —IEEE Spectrum, 19 Dec. 2018

To Tobias Warnecke, a molecular evolutionary biologist at Imperial College London, fitness landscapes are an invaluable way to connect genotype to phenotype. —Quanta Magazine, 11 Jan. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun

German Phänotypus, from Greek phainein to show + typos type

First Known Use

Noun

1910, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1959, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

phenotype

noun

phe·​no·​type ˈfē-nə-ˌtīp 

: the visible characteristics of a plant or animal that result from the combined effects of the genes and the environment

phenotypic

ˌfē-nə-ˈtip-ik 

adjective

Medical Definition

phenotype

noun

phe·​no·​type ˈfē-nə-ˌtīp 

1

: the observable characteristics or traits of an organism that are produced by the interaction of the genotype and the environment : the physical expression of one or more genes

Considerable data on ABO blood group phenotypes and alleles now exist showing marked differentiation between geographical areas such as Europe and Asia …

—J.A. Beardmore et al.

The mice also developed an osteoporotic phenotype that was not due to a defect in osteoblast differentiation, but rather to a marked decline in the output of bone matrix per osteoblast.

—Patrick Ducy et al.

2

: the observable characteristics or traits of a disease

… a mild disorder whose clinical phenotype overlaps with that of the Marfan syndrome …

—Petros Tsipouras et al.

phenotypic

ˌfē-nə-ˈtip-ik 

adjective

also phenotypical

-i-kəl 

phenotypically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb