Definition of epigenesis
1
: development of a plant or animal from an egg or spore through a series of processes in which unorganized cell masses differentiate into organs and organ systems
also
: the theory that plant and animal development proceeds in this way — compare preformation sense 2
2
: change in the mineral character of a rock owing to outside influences
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for epigenesis
The first known use of epigenesis was in 1798
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