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Definition of Preformation in English :

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Preformation meaning in English

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Preformation

see synonyms of preformation

Noun

1. preformation, theory of preformation

a theory (popular in the 18th century and now discredited) that an individual develops by simple enlargement of a tiny fully formed organism (a homunculus) that exists in the germ cell

WordNet Lexical Database for English. Princeton University. 2010.

Preformation

see synonyms of preformation
noun
1. 
the act of forming in advance; previous formation
2. biology
the theory, now discredited, that an individual develops by simple enlargement of a fully differentiated egg cell
Compare epigenesis (sense 1)

Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Preformation

see synonyms of preformation
noun
1. 
previous formation
2.  Biology
a former theory that every germ cell contains every part of the future organism in miniature, development being merely growth in size

Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Preformation

see synonyms of preformation
n.
1. The act of shaping or forming in advance; prior formation.
2. A theory popular in the 1700s that all parts of an organism exist completely formed in the germ cell and develop only by increasing in size.

The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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