neotenousadj.
/nɪˈɒtᵻnəs/, /nɪˈɒtn̩əs/, U.S. /niˈɑtn̩əs/ Biology.
= neotenic adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > animal body > general parts > sexual organs and reproduction > [adjective] > relating to sexual maturity in larval form
neotenic1894
neotenous1920
1920 Amer. Naturalist 54 349 All neotenous amphibians hitherto reported, with the exception of Allen's..thyroidless tadpoles, have been confined to the tailed amphibians.
1930 G. R. de Beer Embryol. & Evol. 27 Some animals have become permanently committed to this neotenous state.
1957 New Biol. 23 103 Animals which breed as juveniles or larvae are described as ‘neotenous’.
1982 J. Campbell Grammatical Man iii. xii. 140 Dogs are neotenous wolves.
1994 J. Cohen & I. Stewart Collapse of Chaos iii. 88 Humans are extremely neotenous primates; we retain all kinds of juvenile characters such as curiosity, hairlessness, head shape, and cuddliness into adulthood.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1920