polyploid

[ pol-ee-ploid ]
/ ˈpɒl iˌplɔɪd /
Biology

adjective

having a chromosome number that is more than double the basic or haploid number.

noun

a polyploid cell or organism.

Origin of polyploid

First recorded in 1915–20; poly- + -ploid

OTHER WORDS FROM polyploid

pol·y·ploi·dic, adjective pol·y·ploi·dy, noun

Words nearby polyploid

polyphyletic, polyphyodont, polypill, polyplastic, polyplegia, polyploid, polyploidy, polypnea, polypod, polypody, polypoid

British Dictionary definitions for polyploid

polyploid
/ (ˈpɒlɪˌplɔɪd) /

adjective

(of cells, organisms, etc) having more than twice the basic (haploid) number of chromosomes

noun

an individual or cell of this type

Derived forms of polyploid

polyploidal or polyploidic, adjective polyploidy, noun

Medical definitions for polyploid

polyploid
[ pŏl′ē-ploid′ ]

adj.

Having extra sets of chromosomes.

n.

An organism with more than two sets of chromosomes.

Other words from polyploid

pol′y•ploi′dy n.

Scientific definitions for polyploid

polyploid
[ pŏl′ē-ploid′ ]

Having more than two complete sets of chromosomes. Many plants that are polyploid, such as dandelions, are sterile but can reproduce by apomixis or other asexual means. Other polyploid plants are fertile. For example, durum wheat (Triticum turgidum durum), which is used to make pasta, is tetraploid (it has four sets of chromosomes), while bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) is hexaploid (six sets of chromosomes). Polyploid plants, if viable, are often larger or more productive than diploid plants, and plant breeders often deliberately produce such plants by crossing species or other means. In the animal kingdom, polyploidy is abnormal and often fatal.