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pure line

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noun Genetics.
  1. a uniform strain of organisms that is relatively pure genetically because of continued inbreeding and artificial selection.
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Origin of pure line

First recorded in 1905–10
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for pure line

Historical Examples

  • Thus, it is not difficult to breed to practically a pure-line condition.

    The Tomato

    Paul Work

British Dictionary definitions for pure line

pure line

noun
  1. a breed or strain of animals or plants in which certain characters appear in successive generations as a result of inbreeding or self-fertilization
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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