English

Noun

polygenesis ‎(usually uncountable, plural polygeneses)

1. The genesis of a species from more than one ancestor.
2. (biology) The theory that living organisms originate in cells or embryos of different kinds, instead of coming from a single cell; as opposed to monogenesis.
3. (linguistics) The theory that languages developed independently in different places at different periods, as opposed to originating from a single source.

Related terms

• polygenetic

See also

• monogenesis

References

• polygenesis in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913