interbred
interbred — verb
1. (of animals or plants of different breeds, species, or types) mated with each ot
(of animals or plants of different breeds, species, or types) mated with each other, or were mated by people, so that the young carry traits from both parents.
Farmers on the Diego ranch interbred their Angus cattle with a local hardy breed.
interbred X with Y for deliberate human-driven crossbreeding
Wolves and wild dogs interbred along the forest edge for many generations.
intransitive: two populations interbred
Takeshi explained how his roses had interbred naturally with a wild climbing variety.
The two horse breeds interbred easily, producing foals with mixed colours.
Scientists interbred the wild tomato with a common garden variety to study disease resistance.
- crossbred
near-identical; emphasises producing a hybrid offspring
- hybridised
more technical; common in plant science
- crossed
shorter, everyday term used by breeders
- purebred
adjective: bred only within one breed, not crossed
文法句型
X interbred with Y
scientists interbred X and Y
用法筆記
Subject is usually two named breeds, species, or populations; the preposition 'with' marks the partner. Distinguish from sense 2 — sense 1 always crosses different groups.
常見錯誤
2. (of a small or cut-off group of animals or people) mated only with members of th
(of a small or cut-off group of animals or people) mated only with members of the same family or community over many generations, which can cause genetic problems.
The island deer had interbred for centuries, leaving the herd weaker than mainland animals.
long-term inbreeding inside an isolated population
Aylin worried that her show rabbits had interbred too closely over the past five years.
human breeder concerned about genetic narrowing
Royal families across small European courts often interbred to keep wealth inside the bloodline.
The lab mice had interbred for so long that researchers swapped in new stock.
Wild horses cut off by the desert interbred until many foals were born weak.
- inbred
near-identical for this sense; often the preferred single word
- outbred
bred with partners from outside the group
文法句型
X interbred within Y
the population interbred
用法筆記
Subject is a single closed group; no 'with' partner. Distinguish from sense 1 by checking whether the breeding is across different groups (sense 1) or within one isolated group (sense 2).
常見錯誤
3. (of two or more populations meeting in the same area) mated freely with each oth
(of two or more populations meeting in the same area) mated freely with each other so that, over time, the original groups blurred into one mixed population.
Early modern humans and Neanderthals interbred in parts of Europe and West Asia.
classic anthropological example: two populations blurring over time
When two farming communities settled along the same river, their cattle interbred for decades.
two groups meet in a shared area and their stock mixes
Pim noted that his koi had interbred with the wild carp in the lake.
Native and imported bee colonies interbred in the orchard, producing a sturdier local strain.
Over thousands of years, several early dog populations interbred to form today's breeds.
- intermixed
wider word; can apply to non-biological mixing too
- mingled
less technical; can describe populations or fluids
- remained separate
describes populations that did not mix
文法句型
populations interbred
X and Y interbred
用法筆記
Use this sense when the focus is on populations mixing as a historical or ecological fact, without highlighting whether the crossing was planned (sense 1) or whether the group was closed (sense 2). Often appears in anthropology, archaeology, and evolutionary biology writing.