dominance

(dom′ĭ-năns )

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[L. dominans, ruling]

1. A genetic pattern of inheritance in which one of an allelic pair of genes has the capacity to suppress the expression of the other so that the first prevails in the heterozygote.
2. Often, the preferred hand or side of the body, as in right-hand dominance.
3. In psychiatry, the tendency to be commanding or controlling of others.

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