Euploidy

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition of a cell or organism whose chromosomes form complete sets, such as the normal diploid or haploid number, rather than extra or missing individual chromosomes
2. A genetic state in which the chromosome count is an exact multiple of the basic haploid set, meaning no whole chromosome is added or lost
3. Having full sets of chromosomes in regular multiples of the monoploid number, which is the normal arrangement found in most healthy organisms

Etymology: Euploidy is a technical coinage from the twentieth-century biology of chromosomes, not an ancient term. Its first half, "eu-", comes from the Ancient Greek adverb "eû", meaning "well" or "good", which appears in many English scientific words such as "eugenics" and "euphoria". Its second half, "ploidy", is a modern scientific formation built from the Greek "-plous", meaning "-fold", the same root that gives "haploid" and "diploid". Put together, the word describes a cell whose chromosome sets are complete and in the proper multiple, rather than missing or duplicated pieces. The Ancient Greek root carries the sense of goodness and wellness that the prefix still conveys. Biologists borrowed it so that "euploid" could name the normal condition of a cell, with "aneuploid" marking the abnormal alternative, where a chromosome has been gained or lost.

Synonyms: ploidy

Antonyms: aneuploidy