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Definition

noun, plural: hemizygotes

A diploid cell or organism in which there is only one allele present for a particular gene.

Supplement

A hemizygote results when one copy of a gene is deleted.

Example of hemizygote organisms are the male honeybees that develop from unfertilized eggs. Hence, they are haploid organisms unlike their female counterparts that are diploid.

Word origin: hemi- (half) + zygote.
Related forms: hemizygous (adjective).

See also: zygosity

Related term:

• Hemizygous gene