animalculism

English

Etymology

Compare French animalculisme. By surface analysis, animalcule +‎ -ism.

Noun

animalculism (uncountable)

  1. (biology, archaic) A theory seeking to explain certain physiological and pathological phenomena in terms of animalcules.
  2. (biology, archaic) The theory that the spermatozoon and not the ovum contains the whole of the embryo; spermism.

Antonyms

  • (antonym(s) of “spermatozoon theory”): ovism

Translations

References

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