genetic load


noun
  1. the extent to which a population deviates from the theoretically fittest genetic constitution.

Origin of genetic load

1
First 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.

    The Overmedicated Myth | Hannah Seligson | March 2, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST

Scientific definitions for genetic load

genetic load

  1. 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.

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