spontaneous generation
n.
See abiogenesis.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
spontaneous generation
n
(Biology) a theory, widely held in the 19th century and earlier but now discredited, stating that living organisms could arise directly and rapidly from nonliving material. Also called: abiogenesis
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
a•bi•o•gen•e•sis
(ˌeɪ baɪ oʊˈdʒɛn ə sɪs, ˌæb i oʊ-)n.
the production of living organisms by nonliving matter; spontaneous generation: a former belief.
(a-6 + biogenesis; coined by T. H. Huxley in 1870]
a`bi•o•ge•net′ic (-dʒəˈnɛt ɪk) a`bi•o•ge•net′i•cal, adj.
a`bi•o•ge•net′i•cal•ly, adv.
a`bi•og′e•nist (-ˈɒdʒ ə nɪst) n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
spontaneous generation
abiogenesis.
See also: Life-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Noun | 1. |  spontaneous generation - a hypothetical organic phenomenon by which living organisms are created from nonliving matterorganic phenomenon - (biology) a natural phenomenon involving living plants and animals |
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