Definition of "inbreeding" []

• The breeding of related individuals within an isolated or a closed group of organisms or people. (noun)
• The continued breeding of closely related individuals so as to preserve desirable traits in a stock. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "I think that inbreeding is dictated by the structure of academia, at least in economics."
• "WASHINGTON (CNN) – Vice President Dick Cheney apologized Monday for what his spokeswoman called "an inappropriate attempt at humor" that implied that inbreeding is common among West Virginians, a remark that elicited outrage from the state's senior senator."
• "And here we see a perfect example of why inbreeding is unhealthy for Mankind."