In genetics, something is recombinant if it's formed when two molecules of DNA exchange genetic material. This exchange can result in recombinant traits, like a child having a different eye color than either parent.
Recombinant comes from the verb recombine, to "combine again," and this word is all about the combination and recombination of genes. The process happens in several different ways, but one of the most important occurs during meiosis, or the cell division that creates egg and sperm cells. Recombinant genes, which have traded bits of DNA, result in a more genetically diverse species.