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emergent evolution

noun

the origin of entirely new properties at certain critical stages or levels in the course of evolution, as multicellular organisms, sexual reproduction, or nervous systems.

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Nearby words

  1. emergency medical technician,
  2. emergency medicine,
  3. emergency room,
  4. emergency theory,
  5. emergent,
  6. emergent norm,
  7. emergicenter,
  8. emerging,
  9. emerging market,
  10. emerita

Origin of emergent evolution

First recorded in 1920–25
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for emergent evolution

emergent evolution

noun

philosophy the doctrine that, in the course of evolution, some entirely new properties, such as life and consciousness, appear at certain critical points, usually because of an unpredictable rearrangement of the already existing entities
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