preadaptation

[ pree-ad-uhp-tey-shuhn ]

noun

, Biology.

1. a structure or property that developed in an ancestral stock and was useful in a descendant in a changed environment.

preadaptation

/ ˌpriːædəpˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. biology the possession by a species or other group of characteristics that may favour survival in a changed environment, such as the limblike fins of crossopterygian fishes, which are preadaptation to terrestrial life

Word History and Origins

Origin of preadaptation¹

First recorded in 1885–90; pre- + adaptation

Example Sentences

Nothing is more wonderful in history than the unmistakable signs and proofs of preadaptation.

From Project Gutenberg