ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ noun
Etymology: from gerund of inbreed
1. : the interbreeding of closely related individuals occurring naturally (as in a closed population), as a result of social or religious custom (as in some royal families), or as a deliberately chosen system of breeding (as of cattle or poultry) and serving especially to preserve and fix desirable characters of and to eliminate unfavorable characters from a suitably selected stock but tending to effect an unwanted decline (as in size, vigor, or fertility) through the fixation of undesirable and often recessive characters when the initial stock is in any way defective — distinguished from outbreeding ; compare linebreeding
2.
a. : confinement to a narrow range of intellectual and cultural resources issuing chiefly from a limited field of specialization
the inbreeding of ideas — Joseph Pelej
the inbreeding of continental philosophy — Max Rieser
must avoid nationalist inbreeding — Mark Starr
b. : employment in an institution or locality of an excessive number of people who received their training there
academic inbreeding is marked — Dallas Finn