Rassenkreis

noun Ras·sen·kreis \ ˈräsᵊnˌkrīs \

Definition of Rassenkreis

plural Rassenkreise \-īzə\

: a polytypic species especially when exhibiting a pattern of geographical replacement of one type by another

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Origin and Etymology of rassenkreis

borrowed from German, from Rassen-, variant in compounds of Rasse “race, population” (borrowed from French race, going back to Middle French, “group of people with a common ancestor”) + Kreis “circle, ring,” after earlier Formenkreis Formenkreis