homolog

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UK/ˈhɒməlɒɡ/US/ˈhɑːməlɑːɡ/US/ˈhoʊməlɑːɡ/

noun

A phoneme, morpheme, or word shared by two languages or dialects, via cognation or naturalization.

“TP53 is the human homolog of murine Trp53.”

Less commonScrabble 13Word of the Day · May 2, 2024

Meanings

nounhomolog (plural homologs)

plural homologs · alternative archaic homologon · alternative homologue

  1. Something homologous; a homologous organ or part, chemical compound, chromosome, gene, or cultural element.
    1. human sciencesA phoneme, morpheme, or word shared by two languages or dialects, via cognation or naturalization.
    2. biologyOne of a group of similar DNA sequences that share a common ancestry, or the peptides or proteins that they encode; the counterpart gene or protein in another taxon evolved from a common ancestor (molecularly it may be either identical or similar).

      TP53 is the human homolog of murine Trp53.

      2 more examples

      Detecting remote homolog by protein similarity network.

      2008, Chan-seok Jeong, Minho Lee, Dongsup Kim, edited by Ratko Magjarevic, World Congress of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering 2006, Volume 1 (Biomedical Engineering), →ISBN, page 171

      A more complex mechanism is used by Vibrio cholerae toxin and by the homolog heat-labile enterotoxin secreted by ETEC strains.

      2012, Phillip Smith, Thomas MacDonald, Principles of Mucosal Immunology, page 407
    3. chemistryA member of a homologous series.
    4. cultural anthropologyA belief, practice, concept, or artifact that has a counterpart in another culture.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekὁμόλογος“agreeing, of one mind”
  2. Frenchhomologue
  3. Englishhomolog

Borrowed from French homologue, From Ancient Greek ὁμόλογος (homólogos, “agreeing, of one mind”), equivalent to homo- + -log.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

homolog. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/homolog

MLA

“homolog.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/homolog. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “homolog,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/homolog.

Source: homolog on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.