intergrade
- noun
- /ˈɪntərˌɡreɪd/
- Specialized
:
intergrado
- The intergrade found in the river showcased features distinct from its parent species, indicating a unique hybrid.
Examples
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These categories are not discrete but intergrade, and some common-pool resources can be managed under more than one category.
Academic text (1998) -
Natural intergrade populations of the two species show unique traits that are intermediate between them.
-
Research on the intergrade of the two orchids revealed fascinating characteristics from both parent varieties.
Synonyms
1
9.5
A plant or animal that shows features between two other species
How Intermediate
Surface Forms
Morphology
intergrade = grade (transparent) = inter + grade
The prefix 'inter-' (between) combined with 'grade' (step/degree) yields the sense of an intermediate form or gradual blending in a way that is directly inferable.
Etymology
The word intergrade comes from the parts inter-, meaning 'between', and grade, meaning 'step' or 'level', the same root you see in grade and gradient. So an intergrade is like a 'middle step' between two species, a living thing with features of both.