Meanings
nounWhitten effect (plural Whitten effects)
plural Whitten effects
- biologyThe situation where male pheromones stimulate synchronous estrus in a female population.
Origin
Observed by Wesley K. Whitten in the mid-20th century.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
Whitten effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Whitten%20effect
MLA
“Whitten effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Whitten%20effect. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Whitten effect,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Whitten%20effect.
Source: Whitten effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.