anlage

[ ahn-lah-guh ]

noun,plural an·la·gen [ahn-lah-guhn], /ˈɑn lɑ gən/, an·la·ges.(sometimes initial capital letter)
  1. Embryology. an embryonic area capable of forming a structure: the primordium, germ, or bud.

  2. Psychology. an inherited predisposition to certain traits or to a particular character development.

Origin of anlage

1
1890–95; <German Anlage foundation, basis, as noun derivative of anlegen to lay on or out, apply, equivalent to an-on + legen to lay1

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British Dictionary definitions for anlage

anlage

/ (ˈænˌlɑːɡə) /


nounplural -gen (-ɡən) or -ges
  1. another word for primordium

Origin of anlage

1
German: predisposition, layout

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