The term "homozygous" refers to an organism that has two identical alleles for a specific gene. Alleles are different versions of a gene that can determine traits, such as flower color or blood type. When an organism inherits the same allele from both parents, it is considered homozygous for that trait. For example, if a plant has two alleles for red flowers, it is homozygous for the flower color gene. In contrast, an organism with two different alleles for a gene is called "heterozygous." Understanding whether an organism is homozygous or heterozygous is important in fields like genetics and breeding, as it can influence the expression of traits and the likelihood of passing them on to offspring.