What does "model organism" mean?

Any organism (e.g. the fruit fly) that has been extensively studied as an example of many others, and from which general principles may be established; often chosen for reasons including short generation time, small genome, and affordability.

Model organism

Q: What is a synonym for "model organism"?

Common synonyms include: amoeba, amphibian embryo, animal life forms, arabidopsis, arabidopsis thaliana model, archetypal organism.

noun

noun ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Noun

1
Any organism (e.g. the fruit fly) that has been extensively studied as an example of many others, and from which general principles may be established; often chosen for reasons including short generation time, small genome, and affordability.

Synonyms

All synonyms

amoeba amphibian embryo animal life forms arabidopsis arabidopsis thaliana model archetypal organism

Antonyms

All antonyms

nonmodel insect nonreference organism nonstandard species atypical

Etymology

From model + organism.

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