Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

palingenesis

American  
[pal-in-jen-uh-sis] / ˌpæl ɪnˈdʒɛn ə sɪs /

noun

  1. rebirth; regeneration.

  2. Biology.

    1. embryonic development that reproduces the ancestral features of the species.

    2. Obsolete. the supposed generation of organisms from others preformed in the germ cells.

  3. baptism in the Christian faith.

  4. the doctrine of transmigration of souls.


palingenesis British  
/ ˌpælɪnˈdʒɛnɪsɪs, ˌpælɪndʒəˈnɛtɪk /

noun

  1. Christianity spiritual rebirth through metempsychosis of Christian baptism

  2. biology another name for recapitulation

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of palingenesis

1615–25; < New Latin < Greek pálin again + génesis genesis

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The plot is a palingenesis of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment.

From Time Magazine Archive

All true philosophers have been attracted by the mystery of palingenesis, and have found that its acceptance has thrown a flood of light on the questions that perplexed them.

From Reincarnation A Study in Human Evolution by Fred Rothwell

It is precisely in relation to the palingenesis of Humanity that, to the unseen Will, one day is said to be as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

From Such Is Life by Joseph Furphy

Human "solidarity" was a corollary from the pantheistic religion of the Saint-Simonians, but with Leroux, as with Fourier, it was derived from the more difficult doctrine of palingenesis.

From The Idea of Progress An inguiry into its origin and growth by J. B. (John Bagnell) Bury

The palingenesis of Leroux or Fourier removes the radical injustice.

From The Idea of Progress An inguiry into its origin and growth by J. B. (John Bagnell) Bury

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training