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Glite Dictionary
Johann Mendel

Johann Mendel

7.7
A monk and scientist who discovered how traits pass from parents to children by studying pea plants
  • proper noun
: Johann Mendel
  • The experiments of Johann Mendel with pea plants changed the course of biology.

Examples

  • Johann Mendel is often credited as the father of modern genetics.

  • Before his groundbreaking research, Johann Mendel was an Augustinian monk in Austria.

  • The work of Johann Mendel laid the foundation for modern genetics.

  • Did Johann Mendel really discover the laws of inheritance?

  • Johann Mendel is often credited as the father of modern genetics.

  • The experiments of Johann Mendel with pea plants changed the course of biology.

  • Before his groundbreaking research, Johann Mendel was an Augustinian monk in Austria.

Synonyms

Gregor Mendel
vsJohann Mendel
1 7.1

A monk and scientist known for experiments with pea plants that show how traits pass from parents to children

uses an alternative personal name form for the same historical figure

Surface Forms

Johann Mendel main

Morphology

Johann + Mendel

This is a referential proper name composed of two given/family names; knowing the lexical forms 'Johann' and 'Mendel' gives no information about the person’s identity, occupation, or his role in genetics. The meaning (a specific 19th-century monk and botanist who founded genetics) is factual and encyclopedic, not derivable from the constituent words, so learners need background knowledge.

Etymology

Johann Mendel was a monk who grew many pea plants in his garden and watched how traits like flower color were passed from parent to child. By counting and comparing plants over several years he found simple rules for inheritance, so his name is often linked to the 'father of genetics'.