English

Noun

alternate generation ‎(plural alternate generations)

1. (biology) Each of the two forms of an organism whose life cycle involves alternation of generations, or the fact of such alternation occurring in a given organism. [from 19th c.]
   • 1868, Charles Darwin, The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication:

     If, instead of a single individual, several were to be thus developed metagenetically within a pre-existing form, the process would be called one of alternate generation.

   • 2011, David Krough, Biology: A Guide to the Natural World (5th edition), p. 472:

     On the female side, the alternate generation is a small collection of cells, called an embryo sac, that is hidden away deep inside the reproductive parts of the maple tree.

Related terms

• alternation of generations