Preformation

n.

1.

(Biol.) An old theory of the preëxistence of germs. Cf. Emboîtement.

Noun

1.

preformation - 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 Synonyms: theory of preformation

preform, theory, theory of preformation