polygenesis

  1. Noun.  The genesis of a species from more than one ancestor.
  2. Noun.  (biology) The theory that living organisms originate in cells or embryos of different kinds, instead of coming from a single cell; as opposed to monogenesis.
  3. Noun.  (linguistics) The theory that languages developed independently in different places at different periods, as opposed to originating from a single source.

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This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.