recessive

[ ri-ses-iv ]
See synonyms for recessive on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. tending to go, move, or slant back; receding.

  2. Genetics. of or relating to a recessive.

  1. Phonetics. (of an accent) showing a tendency to recede from the end toward the beginning of a word.

nounGenetics.
  1. that one of a pair of alternative alleles whose effect is masked by the activity of the second when both are present in the same cell or organism.

  2. the trait or character determined by such an allele.: Compare dominant (def. 6).

Origin of recessive

1
1665–75; <Latin recess(us) (see recess) + -ive

Other words from recessive

  • re·ces·sive·ly, adverb
  • re·ces·sive·ness, noun
  • non·re·ces·sive, adjective
  • un·re·ces·sive, adjective
  • un·re·ces·sive·ly, adverb

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

British Dictionary definitions for recessive

recessive

/ (rɪˈsɛsɪv) /


adjective
  1. tending to recede or go back; receding

  2. genetics

    • (of a gene) capable of producing its characteristic phenotype in the organism only when its allele is identical

    • (of a character) controlled by such a gene: Compare dominant (def. 4)

  1. linguistics (of stress) tending to be placed on or near the initial syllable of a polysyllabic word

noun
  1. genetics

    • a recessive gene or character

    • an organism having such a gene or character

Derived forms of recessive

  • recessively, adverb
  • recessiveness, noun

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

Scientific definitions for recessive

recessive

[ rĭ-sĕsĭv ]


  1. Relating to the form of a gene that is not expressed as a trait in an individual unless two such genes are inherited, one from each parent. In an organism having two different genes for a trait, the recessive form is overpowered by its counterpart, or dominant, form located on the other of a pair of chromosomes. In humans, lack of dimples is a recessive trait, while the presence of dimples is dominant. See more at carrier inheritance. Compare dominant.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.