pangenesis

[ pan-jen-uh-sis ]

nounBiology.
  1. the theory that a reproductive cell contains gemmules or invisible germs that were derived from the individual cells from every part of the organism and that these gemmules are the bearers of hereditary attributes.

Origin of pangenesis

1
1868; pan- + genesis; term introduced by Charles Darwin

Other words from pangenesis

  • pan·ge·net·ic [pan-juh-net-ik], /ˌpæn dʒəˈnɛt ɪk/, adjective
  • pan·ge·net·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby pangenesis

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

How to use pangenesis in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pangenesis

pangenesis

/ (pænˈdʒɛnɪsɪs) /


noun
  1. a former theory of heredity, that each body cell produces hereditary particles that circulate in the blood before collecting in the reproductive cells: See also blastogenesis (def. 1)

Derived forms of pangenesis

  • pangenetic (ˌpændʒəˈnɛtɪk), adjective
  • pangenetically, adverb

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