heterochrony

[ het-uh-rok-ruh-nee ]

noun

, Biology.

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.

heterochrony

/ hĕt′ə-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.

Other Words From

• het·er·o·chron·ic [het-er-, uh, -, kron, -ik], heter·ochro·nistic heter·ochro·nous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of heterochrony¹

1875–80; hetero- + chron- + -y ³; compare German Heterochron