Galton

American

[gawl-tn] / ˈgɔl tn /

noun

Sir Francis, 1822–1911, English scientist and writer.

Galton British

/ ˈɡɔːltən /

noun

Sir Francis. 1822–1911, English explorer and scientist, a cousin of Charles Darwin, noted for his researches in heredity, meteorology, and statistics. He founded the study of eugenics and the theory of anticyclones

"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

Galtonian

adjective

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.

It’s a term coined by Charles Darwin’s cousin Francis Galton in 1883, though understanding the structure of the human genome came much later.

From Slate • Mar. 19, 2026

Galton was largely self-educated, an odd man who studied fingerprints and claimed to have proved through testing that praying doesn’t help matters.

From Slate • Mar. 19, 2026

The term “eugenics” was coined in 1883 by Francis Galton, who aimed to apply the findings of his cousin, Charles Darwin, to better society.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2025

Lucía García tries a through ball, but Leah Galton is caught offside.

From BBC • Nov. 19, 2023

Having coined the phrase nature versus nurture, Galton had wondered how a scientist might discern the influence of one over the other.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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