interbreeding

Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Financial, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

in·ter·breed

(ĭn′tər-brēd′)

v. in·ter·bred (-brĕd′), in·ter·breed·ing, in·ter·breeds

v.intr.

1. To breed with individuals of another species, subspecies, or variety; crossbreed: dogs interbreeding with wolves.

2. To breed regularly with others of the same kind: a species as a group of individuals that interbreed.

v.tr.

To cause to interbreed.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	interbreeding - (genetics) the act of mixing different species or varieties of animals or plants and thus to produce hybrids crossbreeding, hybridisation, hybridization, hybridizing, crossing, cross mating, pairing, sexual union, union, coupling, conjugation - the act of pairing a male and female for reproductive purposes; "the casual couplings of adolescents"; "the mating of some species occurs only in the spring" dihybrid cross - hybridization using two traits with two alleles each monohybrid cross - hybridization using a single trait with two alleles (as in Mendel's experiments with garden peas) reciprocal cross, reciprocal - hybridization involving a pair of crosses that reverse the sexes associated with each genotype testcross, test-cross - a cross between an organism whose genotype for a certain trait is unknown and an organism that is homozygous recessive for that trait so the unknown genotype can be determined from that of the offspring genetic science, genetics - the branch of biology that studies heredity and variation in organisms
	2.	interbreeding - reproduction by parents of different races (especially by white and non-white persons) miscegenation, crossbreeding facts of life, procreation, reproduction, breeding - the sexual activity of conceiving and bearing offspring

Translations

métissage

References in classic literature ?

I should add that the good effects of frequent intercrossing, and the ill effects of close interbreeding, probably come into play in some of these cases; but on this intricate subject I will not here enlarge.

View in context

A 160,000-year-old archaic human molar fossil unearthed in China provides the first morphological evidence of interbreeding between archaic humans and Homon sapiens in Asia.

Denisovan Molar From China Shows Homo Sapiens Mated With Archaic Humans In Asia

The Kennel Club warns about the health dangers of uncontrolled interbreeding and sales by unlicensed breeders will be outlawed next year, but the crisis is escalating.

Show some puppy love; Adoption appeal as smuggled designer dogs overrun shelters; EXCLUSIVE

Interestingly, the people who live in Tibet also adapted to the rare-air conditions by interbreeding with Denisovans, an ancient species of humans (earlier article here).

Tibetan Mastiff: A Master Of High Altitudes

Even with the extra dose of interbreeding, individual chimps have inherited less than 1 percent of their genomes from bonobos.

Chimps, bonobos interbred long ago

The technique can more confidently detect the genetic signatures of interbreeding than previous approaches and will be useful for evolutionary studies of other ancient or rare DNA samples.

'Humans and Neandertals interbred'

"What we show is that one butterfly species can gain its protective color pattern genes ready-made from a different species by interbreeding with it--a much faster process than having to evolve one's color patterns from scratch," divulges coauthor Kanchon Dasmabapatra, a postdoctoral researcher at University College London.

Colorful butterflies share survival traits

Infectious diseases common in farm-bred pens can spread into the surrounding waters (see "Wild and Free," Currents, November/December 1998), and interbreeding of wild and escaped farmed salmon is a threat.

False fish

Fish and Wildlife Service suggests the spotted owl is not entirely dependent on old-growth forest for habitat and faces a significant threat from interbreeding with the barred owl.

More flak for spotted owl. (Clippings)

Mixing genes through interbreeding can eliminate survival traits--or result in infertile offspring.

The mating game: ligers, zorses, wholphins, and other hybrid animals raise a beastly science question: what is a species?

What's alarming about his theory is that the interbreeding of humans and aliens could signify the end of human civilization.