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monogenesis

or mo·nog·e·ny

[mon-uh-jen-uh-sis or muh-noj-uh-nee]
See more synonyms for monogenesis on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the hypothetical descent of the human race from a single pair of individuals.
  2. Biology. the hypothetical descent of all living things from a single cell.
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Origin of monogenesis

First recorded in 1860–65; mono- + -genesis
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for monogenesis

Historical Examples

  • Polygenesis in his inventions may probably be regarded as testimony in favour of the monogenesis of Man.

    The Evolution of Culture

    Augustus Henry Lane-Fox Pitt-Rivers

British Dictionary definitions for monogenesis

monogenesis

monogeny (mɒˈnɒdʒɪnɪ)

noun
  1. the hypothetical descent of all organisms from a single cell or organism
  2. asexual reproduction in animals
  3. the direct development of an ovum into an organism resembling the adult
  4. the hypothetical descent of all human beings from a single pair of ancestors
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Compare polygenesis
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
monogenesis in Medicine

monogenesis

(mŏn′ə-jĕn′ĭ-sĭs)
n.
  1. The theory that all living organisms are descended from a single cell or organism.
  2. The production of similar organisms in successive generations.
  3. Asexual reproduction, as by sporulation or parthenogenesis.
  4. The process of parasitizing a single host, in or on which the entire life cycle of the parasite is passed.
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Related formsmon′o•ge•net′ic (-jə-nĕt′ĭk) adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.