ontogeny
the development or developmental history of an individual organism.
Origin of ontogeny
1- Also on·to·gen·e·sis [on-tuh-jen-uh-sis]. /ˌɒn təˈdʒɛn ə sɪs/.
Other words from ontogeny
- on·to·ge·net·ic [on-tuh-juh-net-ik], /ˌɒn tə dʒəˈnɛt ɪk/, on·to·ge·net·i·cal, on·to·gen·ic, adjective
- on·to·ge·net·i·cal·ly, on·to·gen·i·cal·ly, adverb
- on·tog·e·nist, noun
- Compare phylogeny.
Words Nearby ontogeny
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use ontogeny in a sentence
It is expressed by the formula of Herbert Spencer, "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny."
Education: How Old The New | James J. WalshIt relies on the facts of paleontology, and fills up the gaps in this by comparative anatomy and ontogeny.
The Wonders of Life | Ernst Haeckelontogeny teaches unmistakably that its elementary organs, the epidermic cells, develop entirely from the ectoderm.
The Wonders of Life | Ernst HaeckelThe three most valuable sources of evidence in phylogeny are paleontology, comparative anatomy, and ontogeny.
The Wonders of Life | Ernst HaeckelAs we have seen, ontogeny is not completed at hatching or birth.
Inheritance of Characteristics in Domestic Fowl | Charles Benedict Davenport
British Dictionary definitions for ontogeny
ontogenesis (ˌɒntəˈdʒɛnɪsɪs)
/ (ɒnˈtɒdʒənɪ) /
the entire sequence of events involved in the development of an individual organism: Compare phylogeny
Derived forms of ontogeny
- ontogenic (ˌɒntəˈdʒɛnɪk) or ontogenetic (ˌɒntədʒɪˈnɛtɪk), adjective
- ontogenically or ontogenetically, adverb
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
Scientific definitions for ontogeny
[ ŏn-tŏj′ə-nē ]
The origin and development of an individual organism from embryo to adult.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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