determinant, in genetics, the term used in the late 19th century by the German biologist August Weismann to describe the component of hereditary material, or germ plasm, that specifies the characteristics of different cells.
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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "determinant". Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Jul. 1998, https://www.britannica.com/science/determinant-genetics. Accessed 3 April 2025.