monogenesis

[ mon-uh-jen-uh-sis ]

noun
  1. the hypothetical descent of the human race from a single pair of individuals.

  2. Biology. the hypothetical descent of all living things from a single cell.

Origin of monogenesis

1
First recorded in 1860–65; mono- + -genesis
  • Also mo·nog·e·ny [muh-noj-uh-nee] /məˈnɒdʒ ə ni/ .

Words Nearby monogenesis

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

How to use monogenesis in a sentence

  • Polygenesis in his inventions may probably be regarded as testimony in favour of the monogenesis of Man.

    The Evolution of Culture | Augustus Henry Lane-Fox Pitt-Rivers

British Dictionary definitions for monogenesis

monogenesis

monogeny (mɒˈnɒdʒɪnɪ)

/ (ˌmɒnəʊˈdʒɛnɪsɪs) /


noun
  1. the hypothetical descent of all organisms from a single cell or organism

  2. asexual reproduction in animals

  1. the direct development of an ovum into an organism resembling the adult

  2. the hypothetical descent of all human beings from a single pair of ancestors

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