polygenism

American  

[puh-lij-uh-niz-uhm] / pəˈlɪdʒ əˌnɪz əm /

noun

1. the theory that the human race has descended from two or more ancestral types.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• polygenist
  noun
• polygenistic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of polygenism

First recorded in 1875–80; poly- + -gen(y) + -ism

Example Sentences

What does this image reveal about the methods of those who advocated polygenism?

From Textbooks • Dec. 30, 2014

But Jesuit Francis McCool of the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome says that "the scientific evidence for polygenism seems to have increased," and he feels that the theory need not necessarily clash with the Scriptures.

From Time Magazine Archive