Haldane's rule

proper noun

An observation about the early stage of speciation, stating that if in a species hybrid only one sex is inviable or sterile, that sex is more likely to be the heterogametic sex.

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Meanings

proper noun
  1. An observation about the early stage of speciation, stating that if in a species hybrid only one sex is inviable or sterile, that sex is more likely to be the heterogametic sex.

    One study hints at the possibility that Haldane's rule may have been the cause of the lack of Neanderthal DNA on the Y-chromosome of hybrids, but currently we do not definitively know.

    2018, Tim Flannery, Europe: The First 100 Million Years, Penguin, published 2019, page 181

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
haldane's law

Origin

Formulated in 1922 by the British evolutionary biologist J. B. S. Haldane.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Haldane's rule. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Haldane's%20rule

MLA

“Haldane's rule.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Haldane's%20rule. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Haldane's rule,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Haldane's%20rule.

Source: Haldane's rule on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.