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transformism

[trans-fawr-miz-uh m]
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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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Origin of transformism

1875–80; transform + -ism, modeled on French transformisme
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for transformism

Historical Examples

  • It does not enter into our plan to set down here the proofs of transformism.

    Creative Evolution

    Henri Bergson

  • Not only did Madame Clémence Royer initiate us into transformism.

  • If it is based only on the pure theory of transformism, there is nothing explained at all.

  • From zoology has arisen the study of transformism, which now dominates the whole of biology.

    The Last Link

    Ernst Haeckel

  • Transformism makes no pretence to account for the origin of life, whether animal or vegetable.

British Dictionary definitions for transformism

transformism

noun
  1. a less common word for evolution, used esp to refer to the theory of evolution
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Derived Formstransformist, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012