spontaneous generation

American  

noun

Biology.

1. abiogenesis.

---

spontaneous generation British  

noun

1. Also called: abiogenesis.  a theory, widely held in the 19th century and earlier but now discredited, stating that living organisms could arise directly and rapidly from nonliving material

---

spontaneous generation Scientific  

1. The supposed development of living organisms from nonliving matter, as maggots from rotting meat. The theory of spontaneous generation for larger organisms was easily shown to be false, but the theory was not fully discredited until the mid-19th century with the demonstration of the existence and reproduction of microorganisms, most notably by Louis Pasteur.

2. Also called abiogenesis

---

Etymology

Origin of spontaneous generation

First recorded in 1650–60

Compare meaning

How does spontaneous-generation compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• spontaneous generation vs. biogenesis

Example Sentences

Put another way, the show refutes the idea of the spontaneous generation of masterpieces.

From New York Times • Mar. 8, 2023

When he showed that food and wine spoiled because of contamination from invisible bacteria rather than from spontaneous generation, the modern germ theory of disease was born.

From Salon • Oct. 19, 2022

Some early models today make us laugh; spontaneous generation of life for example.

From Textbooks • Nov. 29, 2017

Evolution at this stage was not by natural selection, but by the spontaneous generation of complexity; the Darwinian version came later as information-bearing molecules arose.

From Scientific American • Sep. 24, 2011

It appeared that Goedart still believed that many caterpillars arose from spontaneous generation.

From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman