genetic load
noun
the extent to which a population deviates from the theoretically fittest genetic constitution.
Origin of genetic load
1First recorded in 1965–70
Words Nearby genetic load
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use genetic load in a sentence
The theory is that today kids are getting a “higher genetic load” because people are now marrying mates who are similar to them.
Scientific definitions for genetic load
genetic load
The aggregate of deleterious genes that are carried, mostly hidden, in the genome of a population and may be transmitted to descendants. Inbreeding usually causes an increase in genetic load.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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