What is the meaning of theory of preformation?

noun

  • 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).
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
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APAWordNet. (2010). theory of preformation. Retrieved September 24, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/theory_of_preformation/definitions/1330452
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "theory of preformation" http://smartdefine.org/theory_of_preformation/definitions/1330452 (accessed September 24, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, theory of preformation, Smart Define, viewed 24 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/theory_of_preformation/definitions/1330452>.
MLAWordNet. "theory of preformation" 23 October 2010. Web. 24 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/theory_of_preformation/definitions/1330452>