prepotency

[ pree-poht-n-see ]

noun

, Genetics.

1. the ability of one parent to impress its hereditary characters on its progeny because it possesses more homozygous, dominant, or epistatic genes.

prepotency

/ prɪˈpəʊtənsɪ /

noun

1. the state or condition of being prepotent
2. genetics the ability of one parent to transmit more characteristics to its offspring than the other parent
3. botany the ability of pollen from one source to bring about fertilization more readily than that from other sources

Word History and Origins

Origin of prepotency¹

1640–50 for general sense “predominance”; < Latin praepotentia. See prepotent, -ency

Example Sentences

The hierarchy is not arranged from least noble to most noble, but instead is a hierarchy of prepotency.

From Scientific American

The chromosomes transmit the physical bases of heredity from one generation to the next, and the heritages from the two parents are equal except in cases of prepotency.

From Project Gutenberg

In artificial conditions, this in-breeding often results in the development of what is called prepotency.

From Project Gutenberg

That is to say, sudden and extreme variations in the way of sexual incompatibility are probably rare, as compared with some degree of prepotency.

From Project Gutenberg

Another case showing the strong prepotency of the Manx cat.

From Project Gutenberg