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teleonomy

American

[tel-ee-on-uh-mee, tee-lee‑] / ˌtɛl iˈɒn ə mi, ˌti li‑ /

noun

Biology. the principle that the body's structures and functions serve an overall purpose, as in assuring the survival of the organism.

Other Word Forms

teleonomic adjective

Etymology

Origin of teleonomy

1955–60; teleo- + -nomy

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.