algenyn.
/ˈaldʒəni/, U.S. /ˈældʒəni/ Biology.
The attempt to ‘improve on’ or ‘perfect’ naturally existing organisms by means other than conventional breeding, esp. by genetic engineering.
ΚΠ
1966 J. Lederberg in Amer. Naturalist 100 521 To save repeating a phrase, let me call this genetic alchemy, or algeny.
1983 J. Rifkin Algeny 17 But algeny is much more. It is humanity's attempt to give metaphysical meaning to its emerging technological relationship with nature.
2000 Hastings Center Rep. 30 13/1 Of late..environmental alarms have sharply slowed that triumphalist movement, making us try to be more realistic about our own vulnerability and dependence. The ideology of algeny is clearly a step against that move toward realism.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2012; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1966