What does "allometry" mean?
Disproportionate growth of a part of a living organism in relation to the whole.
Allometry
/ˈæləˌmɛtɹɪ/ noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Disproportionate growth of a part of a living organism in relation to the whole.
- Grammar: allometry is listed as noun.
- Useful contrasts: isometry.
- Usage evidence: Some organs may grow faster than the rest of the body so that their size increases not only in absolute terms, but also relatively to the rest of the body, which is positive allometry; or they may grow more slowly than the rest of the body, and so decrease in relative size, which is negative allometry.
How to use "allometry"
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Meaning check
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Source and review context
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Before you rely on this definition
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 Disproportionate growth of a part of a living organism in relation to the whole. uncountable
"Some organs may grow faster than the rest of the body so that their size increases not only in absolute terms, but also relatively to the rest of the body, which is positive allometry; or they may grow more slowly than the rest of the body, and so decrease in relative size, which is negative allometry."
- 2 the study of the relative growth of a part of an organism in relation to the growth of the whole wordnet
- 3 The science studying the differential growth rates of the parts of a living organism. uncountable
Antonyms
Example
"Some organs may grow faster than the rest of the body so that their size increases not only in absolute terms, but also relatively to the rest of the body, which is positive allometry; or they may grow more slowly than the rest of the body, and so decrease in relative size, which is negative allometry."
Common questions
How do you use "allometry" in a sentence?
Some organs may grow faster than the rest of the body so that their size increases not only in absolute terms, but also relatively to the rest of the body, which is positive allometry; or they may grow more slowly than the rest of the body, and so decrease in relative size, which is negative allometry.
How do you pronounce "allometry"?
Pronounced /ˈæləˌmɛtɹɪ/.
Etymology
From allo- + -metry.