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identical twins

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.03 sec.
twin (twin) one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy and developed from one oocyte (monozygotic) or from two oocytes (dizygotic) fertilized at the same time.
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Twins. (A), The most common type of monozygotic twinning, with division of the inner cell mass of the blastocyst resulting in separate amnions but a single chorion and placenta; (B), a rare form of monozygotic twinning, with complete division of the embryonic disc resulting in two embryos in a single amniotic sac with a single placenta and chorionic sac; (C), monozygotic twinning with division occurring between the two-cell and morula stages to produce identical blastocysts, resulting in separate amniotic and chorionic sacs and either separate (shown) or fused placentas; (D,E), dizygotic twinning, with (D) or without (E) fusion of the placenta and chorion.

allantoidoangiopagous twins  twins united by the umbilical vessels only.
conjoined twins  monozygotic twins whose bodies are joined to a varying extent.
diamniotic twins  twins developing within separate amniotic cavities; they may be monochorionic or dichorionic.
dichorionic twins  twins having distinct chorions, including monozygotic twins separated within 72 hours of fertilization and all dizygotic twins.
dizygotic twins , fraternal twins, heterologous twins twins developed from two separate oocytes fertilized at the same time.
identical twins  monozygotic t's.
impacted twins  twins so situated during delivery that the pressure of one against the other prevents simultaneous engagement of both.
monoamniotic twins  twins developing within a single amniotic cavity; they are always monozygotic and monochorionic.
monochorionic twins  twins developing with a single chorion; they are always monozygotic and may be monoamniotic or diamniotic.
monozygotic twins  two individuals developed from one fertilized oocyte; they have identical genomes.
omphaloangiopagous twins  allantoidoangiopagous t's.
Siamese twins  conjoined t's.
similar twins  monozygotic t's.

identical twins
pl.n.
Twins derived from the same fertilized ovum that at an early stage of development becomes separated into independently growing cell aggregations, giving rise to two individuals of the same sex, identical genetic makeup, and closely similar appearance.

identical twins.
identical twins
monozygotic twins.

identical twins
Monozygotic twins Twins resulting from the division of a single fertilized egg, which usually share a common chorion and placenta, although usually each may have a separate amnion. Cf Fraternal twins.


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She notes that cloned animals are not genetically-modified, and are simply identical twins separated by time from their single donors.
Georgia and Bessi Hunter are identical twins, daughters of a Nigerian mother and a British father.
Other local standouts: Identical twins Allison and Adria Morales from Canyon Aquatics each won an event, bringing their combined total of Junior Olympics victories to six.
 
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