carcinization
/ˌkɑːsɪnɪˈzeɪʃn̩/
carcinization means the convergent evolution of decapod crustaceans from forms dissimilar to true crabs into similar forms.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, carcinization ranks #2,309 of 14,431 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #2,319 of 14,444 for Most Exacting Words, #2,328 of 14,438 for Most Storied Words, #2,350 of 14,448 for Most Incisive Words.
carcinization is pronounced /ˌkɑːsɪnɪˈzeɪʃn̩/.
Why “carcinization” is a great word
The evolutionary process whereby non-crab crustaceans, particularly decapods, repeatedly evolve a body plan resembling that of true crabs. From Ancient Greek καρκίνος (karkínos, 'crab') + English -ization (suffix forming nouns denoting a process), coined in 1916 by British zoologist Lancelot Alexander Borradaile. Unlike the broad principle of 'convergent evolution,' of which it is a startlingly specific instance, or 'homology,' which denotes true kinship of form, carcinization is a precise, recurrent morphological pull toward the crab-like form—flattened, shield-shaped, with a tucked abdomen and sidelong gait. It is the hermit crab slowly losing its helical torsion, the lobster surrendering its elongated abdomen to tuck beneath a flattened shell, and the porcelain crab—neither porcelain nor crab—perfecting the disguise so thoroughly that only its anatomy betrays the lie. The universe, it seems, has settled upon the crab as an answer to questions of defense and mobility that it keeps asking of unrelated species; carcinization is the evidence that evolution, given enough time and enough decapods, will write the same poem twice.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek καρκῐ́νος (karkĭ́nos, “crab”) + English -ization (suffix forming nouns denoting the act, process, or result of doing or making something), coined by British zoologist Lancelot Alexander Borradaile (1872–1945) in a 1916 report: see the quotation.
noun
- The convergent evolution of decapod crustaceans from forms dissimilar to true crabs into similar forms.
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