Preformation

//pɹiːfɔːˈmeɪʃ(ə)n// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Prior formation. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    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
  3. 3
    The theory that organisms are fully developed in the form of an egg or seed, and just increase in size (as opposed to epigenesis). countable, historical, uncountable

    "Preformation, as even Aristotle spotted, merely postpones the problem, for how did the homunculus get its shape?"

Synonyms

All synonyms
theory of preformation

Example

More examples

"Preformation, as even Aristotle spotted, merely postpones the problem, for how did the homunculus get its shape?"

Etymology

From pre- + formation.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.