homeotic
adjective
ho·me·o·tic
ˌhō-mē-ˈä-tik 
ˌhä-
: relating to, caused by, or being a gene producing a usually major shift in the developmental fate of an organ or body part
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Working at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Edward Lewis found that homeotic transformations were linked to a distinctive cluster of genes — at least in the fruit fly Drosophilia melanogaster, the experimental animal of choice in genetic laboratories for more than a century.
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Discover Magazine, 30 Oct. 2013
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Discover Magazine, 30 Oct. 2013
Cite this Entry
“Homeotic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homeotic. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
homeotic
adjective
ho·me·ot·ic
variants
also homoeotic
: relating to, caused by, or being a homeotic gene
a homeotic mutant causing replacement of an antenna by a leg in a fruit fly
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