heterotopy

English

Etymology

From hetero- + Ancient Greek τόπος (tópos, “place”) + -y.

Noun

heterotopy (countable and uncountable, plural heterotopies)

1. (biology) A deviation from the natural position; abnormal placement.
2. (biology) A deviation from the natural position of parts, supposed to take place over thousands of years by the gradual displacement of germ cells.

Synonyms

• heterotopism

Related terms

• heterochrony
• heterotopic

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for “heterotopy”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.)