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monogenism

American  
[muh-noj-uh-niz-uhm] / məˈnɒdʒ əˌnɪz əm /

noun

  1. the theory that the human race has descended from a single pair of individuals or a single ancestral type.

Other Word Forms

  • monogenist noun
  • monogenistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of monogenism

First recorded in 1860–65; mono- + -gen + -ism

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.

Can the strict monogenism of the human race as traditionally understood by Christians, be modified to the scientific consensus that the human species originated in a small population, not a single couple?

From Forbes • Aug. 11, 2011

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.