uniformitarianism
/ (ˌjuːnɪˌfɔːmɪˈtɛərɪəˌnɪzəm) /
Save This Word!
noun
the concept that the earth's surface was shaped in the past by gradual processes, such as erosion, and by small sudden changes, such as earthquakes, of the type acting today rather than by the sudden divine acts, such as the flood survived by Noah (Genesis 6–8), demanded by the doctrine of catastrophism
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!
Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!
Question 1 of 12
On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
Words nearby uniformitarianism
uniform, Uniform Business Rate, Uniform Crime Report, uniformed, uniformitarian, uniformitarianism, uniformity, uniformize, uniform resource locator, unify, uniglandular
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
Example sentences from the Web for uniformitarianism
Scientific definitions for uniformitarianism
uniformitarianism
[ yōō′nə-fôr′mĭ-târ′ē-ə-nĭz′əm ]
The theory that all geologic phenomena may be explained as the result of existing forces having operated uniformly from the origin of the Earth to the present time. See Note at Lyell.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.