heterosis

noun

het·​er·​o·​sis ˌhe-tə-ˈrō-səs How to pronounce heterosis (audio)
: the marked vigor or capacity for growth often exhibited by crossbred animals or plants

called also hybrid vigor

heterotic adjective

Examples of heterosis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web One concept which one has to introduce is heterosis, whereby crosses between homogeneous lineages produce more fitness offspring. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2010 Such heterosis effects can contribute significantly to the establishment and early success of invasive species... Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2010 The last is actually a possible reason why there's no reason to appeal to heterosis at all. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 7 July 2011 If there is evidence of admixture, the effects of heterosis might be a default explanation for such observations, perhaps providing a null expectation against which other explanations (such as trait evolution) need to be tested. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 12 Aug. 2010 That’s because most wild pigs in the U.S. are some level of hybrid between domestic pigs and wild boars, creating heterosis or hybrid vigor. Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 5 Oct. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heterosis.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of heterosis was in 1914

Dictionary Entries Near heterosis

Cite this Entry

“Heterosis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heterosis. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

heterosis

noun
het·​er·​o·​sis ˌhet-ə-ˈrō-səs How to pronounce heterosis (audio)

Medical Definition

heterosis

noun
het·​er·​o·​sis ˌhet-ə-ˈrō-səs How to pronounce heterosis (audio)
plural heteroses -ˌsēz How to pronounce heterosis (audio)
: a marked vigor or capacity for growth that is often shown by crossbred animals or plants

called also hybrid vigor

heterotic adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on heterosis

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