Meanings
nounkin selection (uncountable)
- uncountablebiologyAn evolutionary strategy that favors an individual organism's close kin over itself.
Origin
Coined by John Maynard Smith in 1964 in a Nature paper titled "Group Selection and Kin Selection".
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish sukulaisvalinta
- sukulaisvalintaTranslations
French sélection de parentèle
- sélection de parentèleTranslations
Polish dobór krewniaczy
- dobór krewniaczyTranslations
Cite this entry
APA
kin selection. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kin%20selection
MLA
“kin selection.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kin%20selection. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kin selection,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kin%20selection.
Source: kin selection on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.