[luh-mahrk; Fr. la-mark] 
| Jean Bap⋅tiste Pierre An⋅toine de Mo⋅net de [zhahn ba-teest pyer ahn-twan duh maw-ne duh] , 1744–1829, French naturalist: pioneer in the field of comparative anatomy. |
| La·marck (lə-märk', lä-) French naturalist whose ideas about evolution influenced Darwin's theory. |
Lamarck La·marck (lə-märk', lä-), Chevalier de Jean Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet. 1744-1829.
French naturalist noted for his theories on evolution by adaptative modification and for classifying animals into vertebrates and invertebrates.
| Lamarck (lə-märk', lä-) Pronunciation Key
French naturalist who introduced the taxonomic distinction between vertebrates and invertebrates. His theory that the acquired characteristics of a species could be inherited by later generations was a forerunner to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, although it was eventually discredited. |