karyotype /ker″ē·ətīp′/ [Gk, karyon + typos, mark] , 1. the number, form, size, and arrangement within the nucleus of the somatic chromosomes of an individual or species, as determined by a microphotograph taken during metaphase of mitosis. 2. a diagrammatic representation of the chromosome complement of an individual or species, in which the chromosomes are arranged in pairs in descending order of size and according to the position of the centromere. See also chromosome, Denver classification, idiogram. −karyotypic, adj.
