Lamarckian

[luh-mahr-kee-uh n]

adjective

of or relating to Jean de Lamarck or his theory of organic evolution.

noun

a person who holds this theory.

Origin of Lamarckian

First recorded in 1840–50; Lamarck + -ian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lamarckian

He, being a Lamarckian, ascribes this to the inherited effects of use.
The Making of Species|Douglas Dewar
Neither jaws nor brain can have been evolved on the Lamarckian principle.
Evolution in Modern Thought|Ernst Haeckel
In this controversy, however, there was another string to the Lamarckian bow.
Parallel Paths|Thomas William Rolleston
To talk of climate or Lamarckian habit producing such adaptations to other organic beings is futile.
The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, Volume I (of II)|Charles Darwin

Lamarckian views have never lacked defenders here and in America.
Unconscious Memory|Samuel Butler

British Dictionary definitions for lamarckian

Lamarckian

adjective

of or relating to Lamarck

noun

a supporter of Lamarckism

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

Word Origin and History for lamarckian

Lamarckian

adj.

1846, pertaining to French botanist and zoologist J.B.P. Lamarck (1744-1829), especially his view that the process of evolution includes the inheritance of acquired characteristics.