polygenesis

[ pol-ee-jen-uh-sis ]

noun

, Biology, Anthropology.

1. origin from more than one ancestral species or line.

polygenesis

/ ˌpɒlɪdʒɪˈnɛtɪk; ˌpɒlɪˈdʒɛnɪsɪs /

noun

1. biology evolution of a polyphyletic organism or group
2. the hypothetical descent of the different races of man from different ultimate ancestors

Derived Forms

• ˌpolygeˈnetically, adverb
• polygenetic, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of polygenesis¹

First recorded in 1860–65; poly- + -genesis

Example Sentences

And other commentators of the era believed that lice evolved through polygenesis, a pseudoscientific theory that posited that species originated from many different stocks — and that, when extended to humans, implies that people of different races did too.

From Salon

He was a proponent of the theory of polygenesis, which held that some races were separate species, with separate origins.

From New York Times

A proponent of polygenesis — the idea that the races descended from different origins, a notion challenged in its own time and refuted by Darwin — he had the pictures taken to furnish proof of this theory.

From New York Times

Agassiz, a rival of Charles Darwin, subscribed to polygenesis, the theory that black and white people descended from different origins.

From New York Times

Douglass was especially critical of the promotion of polygenesis: the idea that the races of humankind emerged in separate creation events and with unequal capacities.

From Slate