verb
noun
Meanings
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1
verb
biology and genetics: to breed individuals from two strains or populations
Researchers intercross the two mouse strains to study inherited traits.
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2
verb
to cross or intersect repeatedly with one another
The paths intercross near the summit before separating again.
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3
noun
biology and genetics: an act of crossbreeding or the offspring produced by it
An intercross between the two lines produced fertile offspring.
Thesaurus
Etymology
Formed in English from inter-, 'between or among,' and cross. The physical sense describes lines crossing one another; the biological sense applies cross to mating between strains or populations.