cephalization

American

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

noun

Zoology.

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

cephalization British

/ ˌsɛfəlaɪˈzeɪʃən /

noun

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of cephalization

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023