monozygotic

IPA/ˌmɒn.əʊ.zaɪˈɡɒt.ɪk/
IPA/ˌmɑː.noʊ.zaɪˈɡɑː.t̬ɪk/

monozygotic — adjective

  • monozygoticpositive
  • more monozygoticcomparative
  • most monozygoticsuperlative

1. used in medicine to describe twins that begin as one fertilized egg and later sp

1.adjectiveC2
Definition

used in medicine to describe twins that begin as one fertilized egg and later split into two embryos

Example

The doctor told Mira that her monozygotic twins came from one egg.

collocation: monozygotic twins

Emre and Lucas were monozygotic twins, so they had the same blood type.

result: same blood type in monozygotic twins

Common collocations
  • monozygotic twins
Synonyms
  • identical

    everyday term for the same kind of twins; much more common outside medical writing

Antonyms
  • fraternal

    everyday opposite for twins that come from two separate eggs

  • dizygotic

    medical opposite meaning developed from two fertilized eggs

Grammar Patterns

monozygotic + twins

be monozygotic

Usage Note

Mostly used in medical or scientific contexts, especially in the fixed phrase 'monozygotic twins'. In everyday conversation, people usually say 'identical twins' instead.

Common Mistakes

They are monozygotic siblings.
They are monozygotic twins.
this term is normally used for twins as a pair, not for siblings in general.

Word family

  • monozygote
    nounC2
  • monozygosity
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Monozygotic' and 'identical' usually describe the same kind of twins, but the register is different. Doctors, textbooks, and research papers prefer 'monozygotic' because it states the biology directly: one fertilized egg that later divides. In family talk, 'identical twins' is much more natural. 'Dizygotic' is the medical opposite, meaning two separate eggs were fertilized. Outside medicine, people usually call those twins 'fraternal' instead. A useful test is context: in a scan report or genetics article, choose 'monozygotic' or 'dizygotic'; when introducing children in everyday conversation, say 'identical' or 'fraternal'.

monozygotic ↗identical ↗dizygoticfraternal ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • monozygotic twins

Etymology

GreekModern scientific EnglishEnglish

Built in modern scientific English from mono-, a Greek element meaning 'one', and zygotic, a form related to zygote. The word is used for twins that begin from one fertilized egg and later divide into two embryos.