polygenesis

[ pol-ee-jen-uh-sis ]

nounBiology, Anthropology.
  1. origin from more than one ancestral species or line.

Origin of polygenesis

1
First recorded in 1860–65; poly- + -genesis

Words Nearby polygenesis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use polygenesis in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for polygenesis

polygenesis

/ (ˌpɒlɪˈdʒɛnɪsɪs) /


noun
  1. biology evolution of a polyphyletic organism or group

  2. the hypothetical descent of the different races of man from different ultimate ancestors

Derived forms of polygenesis

  • polygenetic (ˌpɒlɪdʒɪˈnɛtɪk), adjective
  • polygenetically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012