- teleonomy
- noun Etymology: teleo- (as in teleology) + -nomy Date: 1958 the quality of apparent purposefulness of structure or function in living organisms due to evolutionary adaptation • teleonomic adjective
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
teleonomy
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Teleonomy — is the quality of apparent purposefulness and of goal directedness of structures and functions in living organisms that derive from their evolutionary history and adaptation for reproductive success. The term was coined to stand in contrast with… … Wikipedia
teleonomy — [tē΄lē än′ə mē, tel΄ēän′ə mē] n. the concept that an organism s structures or functions must have given it an evolutionary advantage teleonomic [tē΄lēə näm′ik] adj … English World dictionary
teleonomy — teleonomic /tel ee euh nom ik, tee lee /, adj. /tel ee on euh mee, tee lee /, n. Biol. the principle that the body s structures and functions serve an overall purpose, as in assuring the survival of the organism. [1955 60; TELEO + NOMY] * * * … Universalium
teleonomy — noun The quality of living organisms of seeming to be organized towards the attainment of an end See Also: teleonomist … Wiktionary
teleonomy — The doctrine that life is characterized by endowment with a project or purpose; i.e., the existence in an organism of a structure or function implies that it has had evolutionary survival value. [G. telos, end, + nomos, law] * * * te·le·on·o·my… … Medical dictionary
teleonomy — n. concept that a body or organism s structure has intrinsic value (i.e. enabling the organism to survive) … English contemporary dictionary
teleonomy — tele·on·o·my … English syllables
teleonomy — tel•e•on•o•my [[t]ˌtɛl iˈɒn ə mi, ˌti li [/t]] n. bio bio the principle that the body s structures and functions serve an overall purpose, as in assuring the survival of the organism • Etymology: 1955 60; teleo + nomy tel•e•o•nom•ic ˌtɛl i əˈnɒm… … From formal English to slang
teleonomy — … Useful english dictionary
Adaptation — This article is about the evolutionary process. For other uses, see Adaptation (disambiguation). Part of a series on Evolutionary Biology … Wikipedia
