Recombinant

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to genetic constructs created by merging DNA segments from different organisms
2. Indicative of organisms or cells produced through the process of combining genetic information
3. Connected with DNA molecules made by joining genetic sequences from two or more distinct sources ; referring to living cells or organisms created by inserting combined genetic material

Etymology: "Combine" comes from Late Latin "combinare," built from "com-" (together) and "bini" (two at a time). The word's core idea is therefore pairing: things brought two by two into a single arrangement. English added the prefix "re-," meaning again or anew, and the suffix "-ant," an adjective ending inherited from Latin present participles. Together they describe something joined again into a new combination. In genetics, the sense is precise: a recombinant DNA molecule is assembled from segments that came from different sources, and a recombinant cell or organism is one carrying such constructed genetic material.

Synonyms: composite, combined, merged, mixed, hybrid