pure line

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noun Genetics.

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

Words nearby pure line

purehearted, pure imaginary number, pure laine, Pure Land, Pure Land sects, pure line, purely, pure reason, purfle, purgation, purgative

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pure line in a sentence

Domestically, the prime minister maintains the dubious line that he is the only man who can keep the still-fragile peace.
Cambodia’s Smoke-and-Mirrors Democracy|David Shaftel|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Several Republicans won primaries in 2014 by running as ideologically pure conservatives who wanted new leadership in the House.
Kamikaze Congress Prepares to Strike Boehner|Ben Jacobs|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Last week I turned 40, a bittersweet occasion because I crossed the line to living longer without my mother than with her.
Everyone at This Dinner Party Has Lost Someone|Samantha Levine|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Completed in 1953 and composed with standard line breaks and punctuation, the book was completely ignored upon submission.
The Lost Novel of Nobel-Winner José Saramago|Charles Shafaieh|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Is it any wonder that the interests of large corporations and unions get to the front of the line?
The 100 Rich People Who Run America|Mark McKinnon|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In this position, the line of cavalry formed the chord of the arc described by the river, and occupied by us.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
Our talk ranged from the Panhandle to the Canada line, while our horses jogged steadily southward.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Why not have sought out the pure white lime-rocks of the flat country, or the grey granite of the hills?
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
I have drawn a Line between the figures at the extream changes, that next below the Line is the extream.
Tintinnalogia, or, the Art of Ringing|Richard Duckworth and Fabian Stedman
My station was on the right of the line, where the breastwork, ending in a redoubt, was steep and high.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various

British Dictionary definitions for pure line

pure line

noun

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

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