allotype

[ al-uh-tahyp ]

noun
  1. Biology. a type specimen of the sex opposite to that of the holotype.

  2. Immunology. an antibody of a given class having certain molecular sites shared by only some members of a species and therefore acting as an antigen to other members of the same species.

Origin of allotype

1
1915–20; allo- + type; in immunological sense, probably back formation from allotypy<French allotypie, coined in 1956

Other words from allotype

  • al·lo·typ·ic [al-uh-tip-ik], /ˌæl əˈtɪp ɪk/, adjective
  • al·lo·typ·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • al·lo·typ·y [al-uh-tahy-pee], /ˈæl əˌtaɪ pi/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for allotype

allotype

/ (ˈæləˌtaɪp) /


noun
  1. biology an additional type specimen selected because of differences from the original type specimen, such as opposite sex or morphological details

  2. immunol any of the variant forms of a particular immunoglobulin found among members of the same species

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012