POLYMORPHISM

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does polymorphism mean? 

• POLYMORPHISM (noun)
  The noun POLYMORPHISM has 3 senses:

1. (genetics) the genetic variation within a population that natural selection can operate on

2. (chemistry) the existence of different kinds of crystal of the same chemical compound

3. (biology) the existence of two or more forms of individuals within the same animal species (independent of sex differences)

  Familiarity information: POLYMORPHISM used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• POLYMORPHISM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(genetics) the genetic variation within a population that natural selection can operate on

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Hypernyms ("polymorphism" is a kind of...):

organic phenomenon ((biology) a natural phenomenon involving living plants and animals)

Domain category:

genetic science; genetics (the branch of biology that studies heredity and variation in organisms)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "polymorphism"):

single nucleotide polymorphism; SNP ((genetics) genetic variation in a DNA sequence that occurs when a single nucleotide in a genome is altered; SNPs are usually considered to be point mutations that have been evolutionarily successful enough to recur in a significant proportion of the population of a species)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(chemistry) the existence of different kinds of crystal of the same chemical compound

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Synonyms:

pleomorphism; polymorphism

Hypernyms ("polymorphism" is a kind of...):

chemical phenomenon (any natural phenomenon involving chemistry (as changes to atoms or molecules))

Domain category:

chemical science; chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "polymorphism"):

dimorphism ((chemistry) the property of certain substances that enables them to exist in two distinct crystalline forms)

Derivation:

polymorphic; polymorphous (relating to the crystallization of a compound in two or more different forms)

Sense 3

Meaning:

(biology) the existence of two or more forms of individuals within the same animal species (independent of sex differences)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Hypernyms ("polymorphism" is a kind of...):

organic phenomenon ((biology) a natural phenomenon involving living plants and animals)

Domain category:

biological science; biology (the science that studies living organisms)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "polymorphism"):

dimorphism ((biology) the existence of two forms of individual within the same animal species (independent of sex differences))

Derivation:

polymorphic; polymorphous (relating to the occurrence of more than one kind of individual (independent of sexual differences) in an interbreeding population)

 Context examples 

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the gene may contribute to breast cancer susceptibility.

(COX11 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

Polymorphisms may range in size from single nucleotide to large nucleotide sequence variation visible at the chromosomal level.

(Genetic Polymorphism, NCI Thesaurus)

The FABP2 gene has a polymorphism in position 54, which changes Ala-54 (71% of the population) to Thr-54 (29%).

(Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 2, NCI Thesaurus)

Polymorphism may contribute to lung cancer risk.

(CLPTM1L wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

The researchers found that 108 genetic regions had tiny variations (single-nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs) that were significantly associated with schizophrenia risk.

(Over 100 Genetic Sites Tied to Schizophrenia, NIH)

Functional polymorphisms in the CYP1A2 gene may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer in smokers.

(CYP1A2 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

Polymorphism of the gene may be associated with breast cancer risk.

(FTO wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

Resequencing is used to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).

(DNA Resequencing, NCI Thesaurus)

This repeat polymorphism results in increased enzymatic activity of the cytochrome P450 2E1*1 protein in individuals who carry this allele.

(CYP2E1*1 Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

Functional polymorphisms in the CYP2C9 gene are associated with colorectal cancer.

(CYP2C9 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)