Denoting the number of chromosomes in sperm or ova, which is half the number in somatic (diploid) cells; the h. number in normal human beings is 23. SYN: monoploid. [G. haplos, simple, + eidos, appearance]
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hap·loid 'hap-.lȯid adj having the gametic number of chromosomes or half the number characteristic of somatic cells: MONOPLOID
haploid n
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adj.
describing cells, nuclei, or organisms that have a single set of unpaired chromosomes. In humans the gametes are haploid following meiosis. Compare diploid, triploid.
• haploid n.
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hap·loid (hapґloid) [hapl- +-oid] having a single set of chromosomes, representing the normal complement of the species, as found in prokaryotes and in eukaryotic gametes. In humans, the haploid number, n>, is 23. Cf. diploid.Medical dictionary. 2011.