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prepotency

American  
[pree-poht-n-see] / priˈpoʊt n si /

noun

Genetics.
  1. the ability of one parent to impress its hereditary characters on its progeny because it possesses more homozygous, dominant, or epistatic genes.


prepotency British  
/ prɪˈpəʊtənsɪ /

noun

  1. the state or condition of being prepotent

  2. genetics the ability of one parent to transmit more characteristics to its offspring than the other parent

  3. botany the ability of pollen from one source to bring about fertilization more readily than that from other sources

"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

Etymology

Origin of prepotency

1640–50 for general sense “predominance”; < Latin praepotentia. See prepotent, -ency

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

As Rockefeller’s oil prepotency waned, global production flourished; in a frantically developing industrialized world, oil reserves took on strategic importance.

From Slate Nov. 22, 2013

Thus, we necessarily select the only trait really worth while; that is prepotency or the ability to beget desirable qualities.

From The Dollar Hen by Hastings, Milo M. (Milo Milton)

The brief mention of prepotency is common to them both.

From The Foundations of the Origin of Species Two Essays written in 1842 and 1844 by Darwin, Francis, Sir

It is therefore not surprising that every one hitherto has been baffled in drawing up general rules on the subject of prepotency.

From The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, Volume II (of 2) by Darwin, Charles

Beta vulgaris. measurements. crossed not exceeded by self-fertilised. prepotency of other pollen.

From Effects of Cross and Self Fertilisation in the Vegetable Kingdom by Darwin, Charles

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