heteroploid /het″ərəploid′/ [Gk, heteros + ploos, times, eidos, form] , 1. n., an individual, organism, strain, or cell that has a variation in the number of chromosomes characteristic of somatic cells of the species. The change may involve entire sets of chromosomes or single chromosomes. 2. adj., pertaining to such an individual, organism, strain, or cell. See also aneuploid, euploid. −heteroploidy, n.
