Definitions

Last updated on August 24, 2021 2 min read

Term	Definition
Allele	Any of the possible forms of a gene, e.g. Tall/short
Genotype	The combination of alleles/genes in a chromosomal pair
Phenotype	The visible trait caused by a genotype
Homozygous Alleles	Both chromosomes for a trait have the same allele (Both Dominant or both recessive)
Heterozygous Alleles	One chromosome has the Dominant allele, while the other has the recessive allele. An organism with Heterozygous Alleles will display the characteristics of the Dominant allele.
Mitosis	The process by which one parent cell splits into two identical daughter cells.
Haploid	A cell with half the usual number of chromosomes. Usually only occurs in sex cells (sperm and ova). Represented as n (n=23 in humans)
Diploid	A cell with the usual number of chromosomes. represented as 2n (2n=46 in humans)
Meiosis	The process by which one diploid parent cell splits into 4 haploid daughter cells.

Term	Definition
TaNaKh	Hebrew Bible. Consists of 24 books.
Torah	First 5 books of the TaNaKh, means "teachings" or "The Law"
Nevi'im	Books 6-13 of the TaNaKh, means "Prophets". Contains the teachings of the 7 Major and 12 Minor Prophets.
Ketuvim	Books 14-24 of the TaNaKh, means "Writings". Contains narrations believed to be written under Divine Inspiration.
Talmud	A Legal commentary on the TaNaKh, explaining how its commandments are to be lived out. Consists of 2 books.
Mishnah	The Mishnah is the Oral Law. It includes lessons and quotations from sages, scholars and rabbis. Core text of the Talmud.
Gemara	An expansion to the Mishnah, contains Halachah.