Medical Terminology for Health Professions Practice Test

The term for a gene that is hidden when a dominant gene is present is known as a recessive gene. Recessive genes only manifest their traits when an individual has two copies of that gene, one from each parent. In contrast, a dominant gene will express its trait even if only one copy is present. This interplay between dominant and recessive genes is fundamental to understanding Mendelian genetics and inheritance patterns.

In scenarios where a dominant gene exists alongside a recessive gene, the dominant gene will overshadow the expression of the recessive gene, making it appear as though the recessive trait is not present at all. This is why the concept of recessive genes is crucial in genetics, as it explains how traits can be carried through generations without being outwardly expressed if a dominant gene is also present.

Other terms such as genomic gene and autosomal gene describe different aspects of genetic inheritance or categorize genes based on their location or function but do not specifically address the relationship between dominant and recessive traits as the term recessive gene does.