Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To mate (an animal) to an unrelated individual of the same species or breed.
  • intransitive verb To pollinate (a plant) with pollen from a different plant of the same species, often one that is unrelated or is of a different variety.
  • intransitive verb To outcross a plant or animal.
  • noun The process of outcrossing.
  • noun Offspring produced by outcrossing.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An organism born to parents who belong to different families, varieties, races, or tribes.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun a plant or animal produced by outcrossing
  • verb transitive to crossbreed different strains of a plant of animal

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From out- +‎ cross.

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Examples

  • To start with, despite what one frequently sees in advertisements, "outcross" is not a synonym for "good cross."

    Thoroughbred News | BloodHorse.com 2010

  • With an outcross to Criminal Minds or The Wire, as it features an ensemble cast.

    they've got cars big as bars, they've got rivers of gold netcurmudgeon 2009

  • Plants adapted to outcross or cross-pollinise have taller stamens than carpels to better spread pollen to other flowers.

    Pollination Wikipedia 2009

  • But by the 1970s breeders began to outcross heavily to achieve a more refined look for the show ring.

    Taking The Reins Amanda Schupak 2006

  • Ironically, Siphon himself is not an outcross, having the close relatives Irish Song (BRZ) and Eridan 3 x 3 in his pedigree.

    Thoroughbred News | BloodHorse.com 2010

  • The international outcross did frequently provide some hybrid vigor - useful for covering up recessive negatives - in the short-term, but would have proved a disaster in the long-term as its principal achievement would have been to dilute valuable gene groupings that are better maintained by prudent inbreeding and line-breeding (as great breeders through the ages have demonstrated consistently).

    Thoroughbred News | BloodHorse.com 2010

  • And the breed is a complete outcross to the Holstein, optimising hybrid vigour.

    FWi - All News 2010

  • Of course, the international outcross turned out to be a false grail.

    Thoroughbred News | BloodHorse.com 2010

  • And the breed is a complete outcross to the Holstein, optimising hybrid vigour.

    FWi - All News 2010

  • He is a complete outcross, with a blend of Chilean,

    Thoroughbred News | BloodHorse.com By 2010

Comments

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  • To cross (animals or plants) by breeding individuals of different strains but usually of the same breed; to produce (a hybrid) by this method.

    June 28, 2008