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wild type

wild type

2 4.8
The usual natural form of a species or gene
  • noun
  • /waɪld taɪp/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tipo salvaje
  • In genetic studies, the wild type serves as the control against which all mutant strains are measured.
  • wild-type bovine
  • wild-type mice
  • wild-type protein

Examples

  • Any fly that isn't a mutant is wild type and vice versa.

  • And that's what we call wild type virus.

  • OK, so this is for wild type normal yeast.

  • As the animals get older than the wild type animals, than the normal animals still show very nice orderly place cells.

  • To our great surprise, though, when the spores developed, the knockout was underrepresented compared to the wild type.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Kochian is studying differences between these mutants and a wild type of Arabidopsis to identify the molecular basis of tolerance.

    Academic text (2000)
  • The recombinant virus is designed to kill pest caterpillars more quickly than the wild-type virus.

    Academic text (1995)
  • We tested for this possibility by performing a chemotaxis assay on wild-type animals toward or away from ethanol.

    Academic text (2017)
  • WRA scores "highly domesticated" plants as less weedy than their wild-type progenitors.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Indigenous wild-type poliovirus (WPV) remains endemic to three countries: Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan (1).

    Academic text (2013)

Surface Forms

wild type singular
wild types plural

Morphology

wild + type

The sense 'the naturally occurring or standard form' is directly derivable from combining 'wild' (natural, untamed) with 'type' (a class or form). Although used as a technical genetics term, the core meaning 'natural form/variant' follows straightforward composition and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituents.

Etymology

Wild type as a noun comes from naming the common 'type' seen in the wild: wild means 'in nature' and type means 'form'. That's why the noun refers to the natural, common version scientists use to compare with mutants.