in cellular biology, "having two homologous sets of chromosomes," 1908, from German (1905), from Greek diploos "double, twofold," (see diplo-) + eidos "form" (see -oid).
Entries linking to diploid
diplo-
before vowels dipl-, word-forming element of Greek origin, from Greek diploos, diplous "twofold, double," from di- "two" (see di- (1)) + -ploos "-fold," from PIE root *pel- (2) "to fold."
-oid
word-forming element meaning "like, like that of, thing like a ______," from Latinized form of Greek -oeidēs (three syllables), from eidos "form," related to idein "to see," eidenai "to know;" literally "to see" (from PIE *weid-es-, from root *weid- "to see"). The -o- is connective or a stem vowel from the previous element. Often implying an incomplete or imperfect resemblance to the thing indicated.
It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit dvau, Avestan dva, Greek duo, Latin duo, Old Welsh dou, Lithuanian dvi, Old Church Slavonic duva, Old English twa, twegen, German zwei, Gothic twai "two;" first element in Hittite ta-ugash "two years old."