Standard Lemma guide

heterosis

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • CMU ARPABET: HH EH2 T ER0 OW1 S AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The tendency of cross-breeding to produce an animal or plant with a greater hardiness than its parents; hybrid vigour.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biology, genetics, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

(genetics) the tendency of a crossbred organism to have qualities superior to those of either parent

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hybrid vigor

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: tendency, inclination

History

Etymology

From hetero- + -osis.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: heteroosi — hybrid vigour
  • Irish: heatróis — hybrid vigour
  • Russian: гетеро́зис (geterózis) — hybrid vigour
  • Welsh: heterosis — hybrid vigour