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preadaptation

[ pree-ad-uhp-tey-shuhn ]

noun

, Biology.
  1. a structure or property that developed in an ancestral stock and was useful in a descendant in a changed environment.

preadaptation

/ ˌpriːædəpˈteɪʃən /

noun

  1. biology the possession by a species or other group of characteristics that may favour survival in a changed environment, such as the limblike fins of crossopterygian fishes, which are preadaptation to terrestrial life
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of preadaptation1

First recorded in 1885–90; pre- + adaptation
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Example Sentences

Nothing is more wonderful in history than the unmistakable signs and proofs of preadaptation.

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