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Glite Dictionary
gene linkage

gene linkage

4.8
Genes that are close on the same chromosome are often inherited together
  • noun
  • /dʒin ˈlɪŋkɪdʒ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : vinculación genética
  • The gene linkage between flower color and pollen shape in this plant species has been clearly demonstrated.

Examples

  • Correlation between two characters in an ordinary population should be the composite of the effects of selection, gene linkage, and pleiotropy (Sakai and Suzuki, 1964).

    Academic text (2013)

  • Researchers found that gene linkage can affect the inheritance patterns of multiple traits in an organism.

  • Geneticists study gene linkage to understand how traits are passed from one generation to the next.

Synonyms

linkage
vsgene linkage
  • Specialized
1 6.5

Genes near each other on a chromosome that are often passed to children together

means the same but appears as the longer formal phrase in technical writing

Surface Forms

gene linkage singular
gene linkages plural

Morphology

gene + linkage

The noun is a straightforward compositional compound: 'gene' (a DNA segment) + 'linkage' (a connection), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to genes being connected or inherited together. This follows ordinary English compounding and scientific naming patterns, making the meaning accessible without prior exposure.

Etymology

Gene linkage comes from a simple image: imagine genes as small beads on a long string inside a cell called a chromosome. If the beads are close, linkage means they stay 'linked' and move together when the string is passed on, so gene linkage means genes near each other are 'inherited together'.