Phrase guide

founder effect

noun · 1 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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1

noun

Meaning 1

A reduction in genetic diversity resulting when a population is descended from a small number of colonizing ancestors.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: evolutionary theory

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

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: تَأْثِير المُؤَسِّس (taʔṯīr al-muʔassis) — lessening of genetic variation when the entire population descends from a small number of founders
  • Arabic: تَأْثِير المُؤَسَّسَة (taʔṯīr al-muʔassasa) — lessening of genetic variation when the entire population descends from a small number of founders
  • Chinese Mandarin: 奠基者效應 /奠基者效应 (diànjīzhěxiàoyìng) — lessening of genetic variation when the entire population descends from a small number of founders
  • Finnish: perustajavaikutus — lessening of genetic variation when the entire population descends from a small number of founders
  • French: effet fondateur — lessening of genetic variation when the entire population descends from a small number of founders
  • German: Gründereffekt — lessening of genetic variation when the entire population descends from a small number of founders
  • Polish: efekt założyciela — lessening of genetic variation when the entire population descends from a small number of founders
  • Portuguese: efeito fundador — lessening of genetic variation when the entire population descends from a small number of founders
  • Portuguese: efeito do fundador — lessening of genetic variation when the entire population descends from a small number of founders
  • Russian: эффе́кт основа́теля (effékt osnovátelja) — lessening of genetic variation when the entire population descends from a small number of founders
  • Serbo-Croatian: ефекат оснивача — lessening of genetic variation when the entire population descends from a small number of founders
  • Serbo-Croatian: efekat osnivača — lessening of genetic variation when the entire population descends from a small number of founders
  • Spanish: efecto fundador — lessening of genetic variation when the entire population descends from a small number of founders
  • Swedish: grundareffekt — lessening of genetic variation when the entire population descends from a small number of founders