exaptation

[ eg-zap-tey-shuhn, ek-sap- ]

noun

, Biology.

1. a process in which a feature acquires a function that was not acquired through natural selection.
2. a feature having a function for which it was not originally adapted or selected.
3. a morphological or physiological feature that predisposes an organism to adapt to a different environment or lifestyle.
4. predisposition toward adaptation.

Other Words From

• ex·apted adjective
• ex·ap·tive [eg-, zap, -tiv, ig-, ek-, sap, -], adjective

Example Sentences

The brain regions responsible for gesture could have been taken over by those used in speech through an evolutionary process called exaptation, wherein parts of an organism take on different or completely novel roles.

From Scientific American

This process of “exaptation” has now accelerated.

From The New Yorker

This process of “exaptation” has now accelerated.

From The New Yorker

This process of “exaptation” has now accelerated.

From The New Yorker

This process of “exaptation” has now accelerated.

From The New Yorker