paedomorphic
See also: pædomorphic
English
WOTD – 9 July 2008
Alternative forms
- pædomorphic
- pedomorphic
Etymology
From paedo- + -morphic.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /piːdə(ʊ)ˈmɔːfɪk/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˌpidəˈmɔɹfɪk/, /ˌpɛdəˈmɔɹfɪk/
,Audio (US) (file) Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)fɪk
Adjective
paedomorphic (comparative more paedomorphic, superlative most paedomorphic)
- Of, relating to, or resulting from the retention of juvenile characteristics by an adult. [from 19th c.]
- 2011, Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature, Penguin, published 2012, page 744:
- Based on pedomorphic changes in the fossils of Paleolithic humans, Wrangham has suggested that a similar process has been taking place in human evolution during the past thirty to fifty thousand years, and may still be taking place.
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Synonyms
- neotenic
Related terms
- paedomorphism, pedomorphism