| 释义 |
gigantism Biol.|ˈdʒaɪgæntɪz(ə)m|
[f. L. gigant-, gigās + -ism.]
Abnormal or monstrous size. spec. a. In man, excessive size due to an increase in the supply of growth hormone caused by overactivity of the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland. b. In plants, excessive size due to polyploidy. Also fig. Cf. giantism.
1885in Syd. Soc. Lex. 1899Q. Rev. CXC. 279 Disease may..lead to..acromegaly, or gigantism. 1927Bot. Gaz. LXXXIV. iii. 314 An aberrant form of Potentilla anserina was characterized by gigantism, sterile pollen, and lack of fruit formation. 1932C. D. Darlington Chromosomes & Plant-Breeding xi. 57 Gigantism is a normal and perhaps universal property of those tetraploids which can be compared directly with the diploids from which they have arisen. 1932J. S. Huxley Prob. Rel. Growth v. iv. 130 Some cases of dwarfing gigantism. Ibid. 131 Simple pituitary gigantism is associated with relatively long limbs. 1944Science 16 June 481/1 In the case of Gigantopithecus the gigantism reaches a new climax. 1953Encounter Nov. 9/1 The prosperous gigantism of the Japanese papers is based..on the high..literacy rate of the population. 1965C. D. Darlington Cytology i. vi. 222 Simple doubling [of chromosomes]..is usually accompanied by more or less gigantism. 1970R. Gorer Devel. Garden Flowers ii. 42 Gigantism is one of the commonest phenomena in cultivated plants. |