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inbreeding

[in-bree-ding]
noun Biology.
  1. the mating of closely related individuals, as cousins, sire-daughter, brother-sister, or self-fertilized plants, which tends to increase the number of individuals that are homozygous for a trait and therefore increases the appearance of recessive traits.
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Origin of inbreeding

First recorded in 1835–45; inbreed + -ing1

inbreed

[in-breed, in-breed]
verb (used with object), in·bred, in·breed·ing.
  1. to breed (individuals of a closely related group) repeatedly.
  2. to breed within; engender.
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verb (used without object), in·bred, in·breed·ing.
  1. to engage in or undergo inbreeding.
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Origin of inbreed

First recorded in 1590–1600; in-1 + breed
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for inbreeding

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Inbreeding, caponizing, etc., What to do at different seasons.

    Apple Growing

    M. C. Burritt

  • It is very probable, but not absolutely certain, that inbreeding is harmful.

    Folkways

    William Graham Sumner

  • The notion of harm in inbreeding has spread all over the earth.

    Folkways

    William Graham Sumner

  • Inbreeding maintains the excellence of a breed at the expense of its vigor.

    Folkways

    William Graham Sumner

  • Inbreeding intensifies and fixes the qualities, be they good or bad.

    Hints on Dairying

    T. D. Curtis

British Dictionary definitions for inbreeding

inbreed

verb -breeds, -breeding or -bred
  1. to breed from unions between closely related individuals, esp over several generations
  2. (tr) to develop within; engender
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Derived Formsinbreeding, noun, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for inbreeding

n.

c.1842, from in + breeding.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
inbreeding in Medicine

inbreeding

(ĭn′brē′dĭng)
n.
  1. homogamy
  2. The continued breeding of closely related individuals so as to preserve desirable traits in a stock.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
inbreeding in Science

inbreeding

[ĭn′brē′dĭng]
  1. The breeding or mating of related individuals within an isolated or closed group of organisms or people. Inbreeding can result in inbreeding depression. However, in agriculture and animal husbandry, the continued breeding of closely related individuals can help to preserve desirable traits in a stock.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.