cephalization

American  

[sef-uh-luh-zey-shuhn] / ˌsɛf ə ləˈzeɪ ʃən /

noun

Zoology.

1. a tendency in the development of animals to localization of important organs or parts in or near the head.

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cephalization British  

/ ˌsɛfəlaɪˈzeɪʃən /

noun

1. (in the evolution of animals) development of a head by the concentration of feeding and sensory organs and nervous tissue at the anterior end

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Etymology

Origin of cephalization

First recorded in 1860–65; cephal- + -ization

Example Sentences

Animals with bilateral symmetry typically exhibit cephalization, or a concentration of sense organs and nerve cells in their heads.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2018

Features of animal body plans include levels of organization, body symmetry, formation of body cavities, patterns of embryonic development, segmentation, cephalization, and limb formation.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2018

It also means the beginning of cephalization, the evolution of a concentration of nervous tissues and sensory organs in the head of the organism, which is where it first encounters its environment.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Associated with bilateralism is the beginning of cephalization, the evolution of a concentration of nervous tissues and sensory organs in the head of the organism, which is where the organism first encounters its environment.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

It may be suggested that saponin is thus a constructive element in developing the plant from the multiplicity of floral elements to the cephalization of those organs.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 623, December 10, 1887 by Various