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CEPHALIZATION

 - 4 dictionary results

ceph⋅a⋅li⋅za⋅tion

  [sef-uh-luh-zey-shuhn]
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–noun Zoology.
a tendency in the development of animals to localization of important organs or parts in or near the head.
Origin:
1860–65; cephal- + -ization
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ceph·a·li·za·tion   (sěf'ə-lĭ-zā'shən)   
n.  An evolutionary trend in the animal kingdom toward centralization of neural and sensory organs in the head or anterior region of the body.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ceph·a·li·za·tion
Variant: or British ceph·a·li·sa·tion /"sef-&-l&-'zA-sh&n/
Function: noun
: an evolutionary tendency to specialization of the body with concentration of sensory and neural organs in an anterior head
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Encyclopedia

cephalization

the differentiation of the anterior (front) end of an organism into a definite head. Considered an evolutionary advance, cephalization is accompanied by a concentration of nervous tissue (cephalic ganglion or brain) in the head region that serves to integrate the activities of the nervous system. Some groups of organisms (e.g., Aschelminthes) show full cephalization, but because their bodies are not divided into distinct trunks and heads, they cannot be said to possess a distinct anatomical head

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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