heterosis

2 definitions found

heterosis - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Heterosis \Het`e*ro"sis\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? alteration, fr. ?
     other, different.] (Rhet.)
     A figure of speech by which one form of a noun, verb, or
     pronoun, and the like, is used for another, as in the
     sentence: "What is life to such as me?" --Aytoun.
     [1913 Webster]

heterosis - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  heterosis
      n 1: (genetics) the tendency of a crossbred organism to have
           qualities superior to those of either parent [syn:
           heterosis, hybrid vigor]