polygenism

[ puh-lij-uh-niz-uhm ]

noun

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

Other Words From

• po·lyge·nist noun adjective
• po·lyge·nistic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of polygenism¹

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