Lamarckism

American  

[luh-mahr-kiz-uhm] / ləˈmɑr kɪz əm /

noun

1. the Lamarckian theory that characteristics acquired by habit, use, or disuse may be passed on to future generations through inheritance.

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Lamarckism British  

/ lɑːˈmɑːkɪzəm /

noun

1. the theory of organic evolution proposed by Lamarck, based on the principle that characteristics of an organism modified during its lifetime are inheritable See also acquired characteristic Neo-Lamarckism

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Etymology

Origin of Lamarckism

First recorded in 1880–85; Lamarck + -ism

Example Sentences

In short, epigenetics is, at most, Lamarckism lite.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Later, biologists cast aside Lamarckism, as the classic view of evolution emerged: that organisms evolve as a result of natural selection acting on random genetic changes.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 28, 2018

This flouts one of biology's most cherished dogmas – taught to all students – namely that changes acquired during life cannot be passed on – the heresy of Lamarckism.

From The Guardian • Aug. 19, 2011

Lamarckism is the theory that acquired characteristics can be inherited, that some profit from experience can be passed on to succeeding generations as a sort of protoplasmal memory.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was a hoary restatement of Lamarck’s idea—of adaptation morphing directly into hereditary change—decades after geneticists had pointed out the conceptual errors of Lamarckism.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee