What does allelomorph mean?
An allelomorph is one of the alternative forms of a gene that can occupy the same position, or locus, on a pair of homologous chromosomes. The term was introduced in the early years of genetics, when William Bateson and his contemporaries needed a name for the contrasting characters — such as tall versus dwarf stems in pea plants — that Mendelian inheritance showed to be governed by paired factors. Each such factor came to be called an allelomorph, meaning literally 'another form'. In modern biology the word has been almost entirely replaced by the shorter term 'allele', which carries exactly the same meaning: any one of the variant versions of a gene found in a population. Allelomorphs may be dominant or recessive, and the particular combination an organism carries helps determine its observable traits. Although now chiefly of historical interest, the term remains useful for readers of older genetic literature.
nounAn allelomorph is one of two or more alternative forms of a gene that occupy the same position (locus) on homologous chromosomes; the term is an older synonym for what is now usually called an allele.
- One of two or more alternative forms of a gene at a given locus on homologous chromosomes; an older term for an allele.
"In Bateson's day, geneticists spoke of each variant of a gene as a distinct allelomorph rather than using the modern term allele."
"The tall and dwarf varieties of Mendel's peas were governed by contrasting allelomorphs at a single locus."
"Early twentieth-century textbooks listed each variant of a gene as a separate allelomorph of the series."
Standard plural; used when referring to multiple gene variants within a series or across loci.
"The series of multiple allelomorphs controlling coat colour in rabbits includes several distinct variants."
Before 'allele' won out, early geneticists called gene variants 'allelomorphs' — a word coined by William Bateson, the scientist who gave genetics its name.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of allelomorph
Allelomorph derives from Greek elements: 'allel-' from 'allelos' (of one another) combined with 'morphē' (form), giving the sense 'another form'. It was coined in the early twentieth century by the British biologist William Bateson, a pioneer of Mendelian genetics who also coined the word 'genetics' itself. As genetic terminology was standardised, the abbreviated form 'allele' displaced allelomorph, and today 'allele' is the universally used term. The word is thus a sibling of other '-morph' terms borrowed from Greek morphology-based vocabulary.
How allelomorph is actually used
A technical, largely historical term from classical genetics. It has been almost entirely superseded by 'allele' in modern scientific usage, though it survives in older literature and some dictionaries.
Easily confused with allelomorph
An allomorph is one of the variant forms of a morpheme in linguistics, whereas an allelomorph is a variant form of a gene in genetics.