• Homeotic

    Pronunciation

    • UK IPA: /hÉ’miːˈɒtɪk/

    Alternative forms

    Origin

    From homeosis + -otic.

    Full definition of homeotic

    Adjective

    homeotic

    1. Of or pertaining to homeosis.
      • 1999, Matt Ridley, Genome, Harper Perennial 2004, p. 176:A certain segment of the body, in other words, had done something appropriate to a different segment of the body. Something had gone wrong with the homeotic genes.
      • 2003, Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything, BCA 2003, p. 365:Further probings revealed the existence of a clutch of master control genes, each directing the development of a section of body, which were dubbed homeotic (from a Greek word meaning ‘similar’) or hox genes.
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