Standard Lemma guide

epistasis

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ɪˈpɪstəsɪs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The modification of the expression of a gene by another unrelated one.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biology, genetics, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the suppression of a gene by the effect of an unrelated gene

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hypostasis

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: organic process, biological process

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἐπίστασις (epístasis, “stopping”), from ἐφίστημι (ephístēmi, “stop”), from ἐφ- (eph-) + ἵστημι (hístēmi, “make to stand”). The use in genetics was coined by English biologist William Bateson in 1909 in his book Mendel's Principles of Heredity.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: epístasi — Translations
  • Finnish: epistasia — Translations
  • French: épistasie — Translations
  • German: Epistase — Translations
  • Indonesian: epistasis — Translations
  • Korean: 상위성 (sang'wiseong) — Translations
  • Polish: epistaza — Translations
  • Turkish: epistazi — Translations
Real reading context

epistasis in complete knowledge articles