Genetics Vocabulary

WORD DEFINITION PICTURE

Heredity The passing of
traits from
parent to
offspring.

Trait Distinguishing
characteristics.

Genes A part of the

chromosome
that contains
the instructions
for a trait.
Recessive The trait that is
Trait not always
expressed. It
recedes into the
background.

lowercase
letters

Dominant The trait that is

Trait always
expressed,
always there.

Uppercase
letters

Allele Each gene has

two parts, one
from each
parent.
Genotype The inherited
combination of
alleles.

Phenotype The organism’s

appearance.

When the two

Homozygous alleles an
organism has
are the same.

Heterozygous When the two

alleles an
organism has
are different.
Chromosomes The structure
that helps to
organize an
organism’s
DNA.

Probability The chance that

an event or
allele will occur.