Octaploid

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. This term denotes a biological state in which an entity possesses eight homologous sets of chromosomes throughout its genome
2. A biological classification describes an organism that has eight copies of each chromosome, resulting in a complex genomic structure
3. This term refers to a genetic condition where eight homologous chromosome sets are present in the cells of an organism

Etymology: Octaploid describes an organism carrying eight complete sets of chromosomes, where a typical human cell carries two. The word is a modern scientific formation built from two parts: "octo-", from Greek "oktō" meaning eight, and "-ploid", a suffix drawn from Greek "-plo-" roots that refers to multiplied units. Put together, the name states the count directly, so a reader can tell the chromosome arrangement from the word alone. The Greek and Latin pieces are ancient, but the combined term is not. Its Greek numeral "oktō" traces back through Proto-Hellenic to the same Proto-Indo-European root that gave Latin "octō", which is why "octo-" appears so widely in English words such as "octagon" and "octopus". The "-ploid" element was built for genetics, so the classical languages supplied the building blocks while the word itself belongs to modern biology. A related term, "octoploid", is the same word with a different spelling, and both forms are in use. Scientists use these labels for plants such as some strawberries and wheat varieties, where whole sets of chromosomes have been multiplied during evolution.