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• cline
  cline

  noun

  the gradual change in certain characteristics exhibited by members of a series of adjacent populations of organisms of the same species.
• Cline
  Cline

  noun

  Patsy Virginia Patterson Hensley, 1932–63, U.S. country singer.
• -cline
  -cline

  combining form

  indicating a slope

cline

¹ American  

[klahyn] / klaɪn /

noun

1. Biology. the gradual change in certain characteristics exhibited by members of a series of adjacent populations of organisms of the same species.

2. Linguistics. (in systemic linguistics) a scale of continuous gradation; continuum.

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Cline ² American  

[klahyn] / klaɪn /

noun

1. Patsy Virginia Patterson Hensley, 1932–63, U.S. country singer.

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cline ¹ British  

/ klaɪn /

noun

1. a continuous variation in form between members of a species having a wide variable geographical or ecological range

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-cline ² British  

combining form

1. indicating a slope

   anticline

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Cline ³ British  

/ klaɪn /

noun

1. Patsy , original name Virginia Patterson Hensley . 1932–63, US country singer; her bestselling records include "Walking After Midnight", "I Fall to Pieces", and "Leavin' On Your Mind"

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cline Scientific  

/ klīn /

1. A gradual change in an inherited characteristic across the geographic range of a species, usually correlated with an environmental transition such as altitude, temperature, or moisture. For example, the body size in a species of warm-blooded animals tends to be larger in cooler climates (a latitudinal cline), while the flowering time of a plant may tend to be later at higher altitudes (an altitudinal cline). In species in which the gene flow between adjacent populations is high, the cline is typically smooth, whereas in populations with restricted gene flow the cline usually occurs as a series of relatively abrupt changes from one group to the next.

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Other Word Forms

• clinal
  adjective
• clinally
  adverb
• -clinal
  combining form

Etymology

Origin of cline

1935–40; < Greek klī́nein to lean ¹

Explanation

In biology, a cline is a gradual change in a trait or characteristic across a population of a species. This gradient occurs over a geographic area where environmental factors, such as altitude or temperature, vary. One example of a cline is the variation in zebra stripes across Africa. In the North, zebras have bold, black-and-white stripes over their entire bodies. Moving south, the stripes become fainter and more brownish-gray. In the most southern regions, their stripes are even more faded, and the lower legs are solid white. In a cline, there is no abrupt, sudden change; rather, traits change gradually across a spectrum based on the animal's geographic range.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cline Cline

Explain what a cline is and identify an example.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

If there is gene flow between the populations, the individuals will likely show gradual differences in phenotype along the cline.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

Using other databases, researchers had found that the number of genes that contribute to tallness in Europeans increased on a cline from south to north.

From Science Magazine ● Jan. 3, 2019

Van Tuyl and Pereltsvaig make much of the fact that the global cline in phonemic diversity does not hold within all continents.

From Science Magazine ● Feb. 9, 2012

There seems to be a cline from paler snakes having fewer stripes in the north to darker snakes in the south.

From A Revision of Snakes of the Genus Conophis (Family Colubridae, from Middle America) by John Wellman

Ms. Cline creates a porous mental tapestry of frayed gaps and vivid imagery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Other country singers had enjoyed crossover success, including Patsy Cline and Glen Campbell.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

Davidson, meanwhile, has his own string of famous exes, including singer and former fiancée Ariana Grande, actor Kate Beckinsale, model Kaia Gerber, actor Madelyn Cline and reality TV star Kim Kardashian.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026

Apa's famous friends left apparent messages of support under his post, including his Map That Leads to You co-star Madelyn Cline, who wrote: "Identify theft is not a joke."

From BBC ● May 7, 2026

He got on the phone to his boss, Ray Cline, at CIA headquarters in Virginia.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin