RECESSIVE


Meaning of RECESSIVE in English

I. rə̇ˈsesiv, rēˈ-, -sēv also -səv adjective

Etymology: Latin recessus (past participle of recedere to recede) + English -ive

1.

a. : tending to go back : receding

the mental apparatus of a considerable percentage of the population tends to be disorganized, becoming recessive — P.A.Sorokin

b. : retiring , withdrawn

a lonely recessive savant who could hardly bear to raise his voice in the classroom — Harper's

2. of an allele : being subordinate to a contrasting allele in manifestation — opposed to dominant ; compare mendel's law

• re·ces·sive·ly -sə̇vlē adverb

• re·ces·sive·ness -sivnə̇s noun -es

II. noun

( -s )

1. : a recessive character or factor

2. : an organism possessing one or more recessive characters

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.