pedomorphosis means the retention of juvenile traits by an adult; neoteny.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, pedomorphosis ranks #1,578 of 14,361 for Most Ingenious Words, #2,319 of 14,444 for Most Exacting Words, #2,350 of 14,448 for Most Incisive Words, #2,517 of 14,440 for Most Satisfying to Say.
Why “pedomorphosis” is a great word
The retention of juvenile traits by an adult organism in its mature form. From pedo- (from Greek pais, paidos, meaning "child") + morphosis (from Greek morphōsis, meaning "a shaping" or "formation"), first attested in 1922. Unlike neoteny, which specifically denotes a slowed somatic development, or peramorphosis, its evolutionary opposite where adulthood is exaggerated, pedomorphosis is the broader strategy of arrested transformation. It is the axolotl's permanent, feathery gills in a breeding adult, the domestic dog's soft, open face, or the human adult's lingering capacity for wonder—a quiet victory of arrested time over the imperative to harden, as if evolution sometimes hesitates, and childhood lingers where maturity should be.
Etymology
From pedo- (“child”) + morphosis.
noun
- The retention of juvenile traits by an adult; neoteny.
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