morphophyly
The direct study of the evolution of forms rather than observation of its supposed ontogenic recapitulation.
Noun
- The direct study of the evolution of forms rather than observation of its supposed ontogenic recapitulation.
Origin
Simplified learned borrowing from German Morphophylogenie, itself from morph- + Phylogenie; equivalent to a reduction of morpho- + phylogeny to morpho- (“shape”) + -phyly (“tribehood”).