genetics

genetics — noun

1. the branch of science that explores how living things pass on physical and behav

1.nounB2
Definition

the branch of science that explores how living things pass on physical and behavioral traits from one generation to the next through their DNA

Example

Rania's genetics course helped her understand why she has her grandmother's eye colour.

genetics + course + inheritance of physical traits

Recent advances in genetics have helped doctors understand rare diseases better.

collocation: advances in genetics

Common collocations
  • human genetics
  • plant genetics
  • population genetics
  • molecular genetics
  • study of genetics
  • field of genetics
  • advances in genetics
  • research in genetics
  • professor of genetics
  • genetics laboratory
Synonyms
  • heredity

    refers to the process of inheritance itself, not the scientific study of it

  • genomics

    a more specialized branch of genetics focused on entire genome sequences

  • inheritance science

    less common; describes the same field in non-technical language

Usage Note

Treated as singular despite the -s ending. It is uncountable, so do not say 'a genetics' or 'genetics are'. The correct form is 'Genetics is a rapidly growing field.'

Common Mistakes

The patient's genetics were tested.
The patient's genes were tested.
'genetics' is the field of study, not the genes themselves. Use 'genes' or 'DNA' for what is tested in a lab.
Genetics are a fascinating area of science.
Genetics is a fascinating area of science.
although it ends in -s, 'genetics' takes a singular verb.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Genetics' is the broad scientific study of how traits are inherited through genes. 'Heredity' is narrower — it refers only to the biological process of passing traits from parents to offspring, not the academic study of that process. 'Genomics' is a specialized subfield of genetics that examines the complete DNA sequences (genomes) of organisms; it emerged after the Human Genome Project. 'Biology' is the overarching science of all living things, of which genetics is one branch. For example, a student might study biology in high school, take genetics at university, and read about genomics in a research journal. Heredity, by contrast, is what genetics tries to explain — it is the phenomenon, not the science.

genetics ↗hereditygenomicsbiology ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • study of genetics
  • field of genetics
  • research in genetics
  • professor of genetics
  • course in genetics
  • advances in genetics

Phrases

  • human genetics
  • plant genetics
  • population genetics
  • molecular genetics

Prepositions

  • in genetics
  • of genetics

Etymology

GreekEnglish

The word 'genetics' was coined in 1905 by British biologist William Bateson. He formed it from the Greek word 'genesis' (γένεσις), meaning 'origin' or 'birth', combined with the suffix '-ics' meaning 'the science of'. The root 'gen-' traces back to the Indo-European word for 'to give birth' or 'to produce'. Bateson needed a name for the newly emerging science of heredity, which had been sparked by Gregor Mendel's discoveries about pea plants in the 1860s.