heterochrony

[ het-uh-rok-ruh-nee ]

nounBiology.
  1. a genetic shift in timing of the development of a tissue or anatomical part, or in the onset of a physiological process, relative to an ancestor.

Origin of heterochrony

1
1875–80; hetero- + chron- + -y3; compare German Heterochron

Other words from heterochrony

  • het·er·o·chron·ic [het-er-uh-kron-ik], /ˌhɛt ər əˈkrɒn ɪk/, het·er·och·ro·nis·tic, het·er·och·ro·nous, adjective

Words Nearby heterochrony

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

Scientific definitions for heterochrony

heterochrony

[ hĕtə-rō-krŏn′ē ]


  1. A change in the timing or duration of an organism's ontogenetic development compared with an ancestral species, resulting in morphological differences between ancestor and descendant.

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