inbreeding

[ in-bree-ding ]

/ ˈɪnˌbri dɪŋ /

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noun Biology.

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

Words nearby inbreeding

inbounds line, inbox, inbreathe, inbred, inbreed, inbreeding, inbreeding depression, in brief, inbuilt, in bulk, inby

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use inbreeding in a sentence

Vehicle collisions and inbreeding are also significant concerns.
Four wild animals that are thriving in cities|By Ryan Chelius/Outdoor Life|February 9, 2021|Popular-Science
As a result, many plants and animals have evolved innovative ways to avoid inbreeding.
Mongooses, Meerkats, and Ants, Oh My! Why Some Animals Keep Mating All in the Family|Helen Thompson|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The family also believed that inbreeding was central to both preserving the family fortune and ensuring “purity of blood.”
Foxcatcher’s Real-Life Psycho Killer|Marlow Stern|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Their network of super-elite inbreeding and strategic couplings had united the West in a deathly embrace.
Can We Divorce Our Elites?|James Poulos|April 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Their excuse for the killing the giraffe was that they were worried about inbreeding.
At the Copenhagen Zoo, Humans Can Be Animals|Kevin Bleyer|March 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Break out the banjos and inbreeding jokes, folks, the Appalachian lounge suit is back.
Enough with the Overalls!|Sean Macaulay|April 7, 2010|DAILY BEAST
These were placed upon their estates, "Crabbet Park," to continue inbreeding as upon the desert, pure to its blood.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 611, September 17, 1887|Various
This is probably one of the most remarkable cases of inbreeding on record, as the breed is also one of the most remarkable.
Hints on Dairying|T. D. Curtis
All the trouble attending inbreeding, crossing or grading comes from not properly regarding this fact.
Hints on Dairying|T. D. Curtis
But crossing or grading animals having the same failing will prove just as disastrous as would inbreeding.
Hints on Dairying|T. D. Curtis
This is due either to scanty and unvaried food or to excessive inbreeding, or probably to both.
Influences of Geographic Environment|Ellen Churchill Semple

Medical definitions for inbreeding

inbreeding

[ ĭn′brē′dĭng ]

homogamy

The continued breeding of closely related individuals so as to preserve desirable traits in a stock.

Scientific definitions for inbreeding

inbreeding

[ ĭn′brē′dĭng ]

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.