Darwin

[dahr-win]

noun

1. Charles (Robert), 1809–82, English naturalist and author.

2. his grandfather Erasmus, 1731–1802, English naturalist and poet.

3. a seaport in and the capital of Northern Territory, in N Australia.

Darwin

¹

/ ˈdɑːwɪn /

noun

1. Former name (1869–1911): Palmerston. a port in N Australia, capital of the Northern Territory: destroyed by a cyclone in 1974 but rebuilt on the same site. Pop: 71 347 (2001)

Darwin

²

/ ˈdɑːwɪn /

noun

1. Charles ( Robert ). 1809–82, English naturalist who formulated the theory of evolution by natural selection, expounded in On the Origin of Species (1859) and applied to man in The Descent of Man (1871)

2. his grandfather, Erasmus. 1731–1802, English physician and poet; author of Zoonomia, or the Laws of Organic Life (1794–96), anticipating Lamarck's views on evolution

3. Sir George Howard , son of Charles Darwin. 1845–1912, English astronomer and mathematician noted for his work on tidal friction

Darwin

1. British naturalist who proposed the theory of evolution based on natural selection (1858). Darwin's theory, that random variation of traits within an individual species can lead to the development of new species, revolutionized the study of biology.

Other Word Forms

• anti-Darwin adjective
• pro-Darwin adjective

Example Sentences

Isak's lack of impact prompted justifiable claims that even the much-maligned and now departed Darwin Nunez would have at least run around a bit in a bid to make things happen.

Read more on BBC

A section of roof at the Royal Darwin Hospital collapsed, with bricks and debris littering a corridor floor.

Read more on Barron's

However, while adult Great Whites have vertebrae about 8 cm wide, the vertebrae from the Darwin shark exceed 12 cm in diameter.

Read more on Science Daily

"Our focus is very much on the Northern Territory. Our focus is on Darwin."

Read more on Barron's

Their discovery - of the structure and function of deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA - ranks alongside those of Mendel and Darwin in its significance to modern science.

Read more on BBC