Bruce effect

noun

The tendency for female rodents to terminate their pregnancies following exposure to the scent of an unfamiliar male.

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Meanings

nounBruce effect (plural Bruce effects)

plural Bruce effects

  1. biologyThe tendency for female rodents to terminate their pregnancies following exposure to the scent of an unfamiliar male.

Origin

First noted in 1959 by Hilda M. Bruce.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Bruce effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bruce%20effect

MLA

“Bruce effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bruce%20effect. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Bruce effect,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bruce%20effect.

Source: Bruce effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.