transformism

American  

[trans-fawr-miz-uhm] / trænsˈfɔr mɪz əm /

noun

Biology.

1. the doctrine of gradual transformation of one species into another by descent with modification through many generations.

2. such transformation itself.

3. any doctrine or instance of evolution.

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transformism British  

/ trænsˈfɔːmɪzəm /

noun

1. a less common word for evolution, used esp to refer to the theory of evolution

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Other Word Forms

• transformist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of transformism

1875–80; transform + -ism, modeled on French transformisme

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

transformism

The idea of transformism is already in germ in the natural classification of organized beings.

From Creative Evolution by Arthur Mitchell

Enough, quite enough of that, without having transformism next to break down the sacred law of work.

From The Mason-Bees by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos

Darwin, he assured me, had brought forward no new discovery, but only a new hypothesis, and that only a small and particular hypothesis, whereby to explain the general theory of transformism.

From First and Last by Hilaire Belloc

And yet transformism leads us straight to it.

From The Mason-Bees by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos

Almost all that transformism tells us to-day would be preserved, open to interpretation in another way.

From Creative Evolution by Arthur Mitchell