Lamarckian

American  

[luh-mahr-kee-uhn] / ləˈmɑr ki ən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Jean de Lamarck or his theory of organic evolution.

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noun

1. a person who holds this theory.

Lamarckian British  

/ lɑːˈmɑːkɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Lamarck

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noun

1. a supporter of Lamarckism

Etymology

Origin of Lamarckian

First recorded in 1840–50; Lamarck + -ian

Example Sentences

In the Lamarckian theory of evolution, changes in species occur not slowly over generational mutations, but within the lifetimes of individual animals.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2019

But biologists are quick to stress that what these organisms show is not true Lamarckian evolution.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 28, 2018

These stories fuelled my imagination about animal origins, albeit in an absurdist Lamarckian fashion.

From The Guardian • Nov. 29, 2016

Whether you’re Darwinian or Lamarckian, you have to ask the question: What’s that information doing in the child if it doesn’t matter?

From Salon • Jul. 23, 2012

In the present state of our knowledge the theoretical difficulty is not fatal to the Lamarckian supposition; it does no more than demand a much more careful scrutiny of the supposed cases.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 3 "Helmont, Jean" to "Hernosand" by Various