Definition

1. Verb:
   • To produce offspring from parents of different breeds, varieties, or species: The core meaning of "hybridize" is to cause or allow two different types of animals or plants to breed together, creating a hybrid.
   • To combine different elements: In a broader, often figurative sense, "hybridize" can mean to mix or blend distinct things, such as ideas, styles, or technologies.

Usage and Examples

• Verb (Biological Context):
  • Scientists hybridize different strains of wheat to develop crops with higher yields.
  • The goal is to hybridize the domestic cat with a wild feline species.
• Verb (Figurative/General Context):
  • The new architecture hybridizes traditional design with modern materials.
  • The musician's style hybridizes jazz and electronic music.

Advanced Usage

• "To hybridize with": This phrasal construction specifies what is being combined.
  • This plant can naturally hybridize with a closely related weed.
• Used as a gerund ("hybridizing") or past participle ("hybridized"):
  • The process of hybridizing roses is complex.
  • We studied a newly hybridized variety of corn.

Variants and Related Words

• Hybrid (n.): The offspring or result produced by hybridizing.
  • The mule is a hybrid of a horse and a donkey.
• Hybridization (n.): The act or process of hybridizing.
  • The hybridization of these two cultures created a unique art form.
• Hybridise (v.): British English spelling variant of "hybridize."

Synonyms

• Crossbreed: To breed animals or plants of different types.
• Cross: Often used interchangeably with "hybridize" in biological contexts.
• Interbreed: To breed with each other (can be used for both same and different types).
• Cross-fertilize: To fertilize by the union of gametes from different individuals.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

• Hybridize A with B: A standard construction for describing the combination.
  • They successfully hybridized the tomato with a more resilient species.

Related Idioms/Phrases

Verb

1. breed animals or plants using parents of different races and varieties
   • cross a horse and a donkey
   • Mendel tried crossbreeding
   • these species do not interbreed