neoteny

English

Etymology

From German Neotenie, coined in 1884 by anatomist Julius Kollmann from Ancient Greek νέος (néos, “young”) + τείνειν (teínein, “to tense”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /niˈɒtəni/
• (US) IPA^(key): /niˈɑːtəni/

Noun

neoteny (countable and uncountable, plural neotenies)

1. (biology) The retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult.

   Most amphibians are aquatic only while young, but some amphibians with neoteny remain aquatic even as adults.

   • 2011, Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature, Penguin, published 2012, page 744:

     Richard Wrangham has noted that the domestication of animals usually tames them by slowing down components of the developmental timetable to retain juvenile traits into adulthood, a process called pedomorphy or neoteny.

2. (biology) The sexual maturity of an organism still in its larval stage.

Synonyms

• pedomorphism

Derived terms

Derived terms

• neotenic
• neotenist
• neotenous
• neotenously

Translations

retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult

• Bashkir: неотения (neoteniya)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 幼態持續／幼态持续 (yòutài chíxù), 幼態延續／幼态延续 (yòutài yánxù)

• Finnish: neotenia (fi), vajaa yksilönkehitys
• French: néoténie (fr) f
• Georgian: ნეოტენია (neoṭenia)
• German: Neotenie f, Verjugendlichung f
• Greek: νεοτενία (el) f (neotenía)
• Irish: neoitineacht f
• Italian: neotenia (it) f
• Japanese: ネオテニー (neotenī), 幼形成熟 (ようけいせいじゅく, yōkei seijuku), 幼態成熟 (ようたいせいじゅく, yōtai seijuku)
• Kazakh: неотения (neoteniä)
• Korean: 유형성숙(幼形成熟) (yuhyeongseongsuk)
• Kyrgyz: неотения (neoteniya)
• Occitan: neotenia f
• Persian: نئوتنی
• Polish: neotenia (pl) f
• Russian: неоте́ния (ru) f (neoténija)
• Spanish: neotenia f

sexual maturity of an organism still in its larval stage

• French: néoténie (fr) f
• Irish: neoitineacht f
• Italian: neotenia (it) f
• Polish: neotenia (pl) f
• Russian: неоте́ния (ru) f (neoténija)

See also

• agerasia

Further reading

• neoteny on Wikipedia.Wikipedia