Preformation
nounverified·updated May 18, 2026
a theory (popular in the 18th century and now discredited) that an individual develops by simple enlargement of a tiny fully formed organism (a homunculus) that exists in the germ cell
Classifications
Entity Type
Unknown—glossary_import_default_pending_classifier
?unassignedlast reviewed —
Sensitivity
unclassified
Information Class
unclassified
Variants
- synonym
- theory of preformation
- plural
- Preformations
- possessive
- Preformation's
- pluralpossessive
- Preformations'