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fetalization

noun
fe·​tal·​iza·​tion
variants: or less commonly foetalization \ ˌ⸗⸗ə̇ˈzāshən , -​ˌīˈz-​ \
plural -s

Definition of fetalization

: a retention in the postnatal life of higher forms of conditions occurring during development of related lower forms the human skull shows fetalization in comparison to the gorilla's since it resembles the simple infant gorilla skull rather than the massive specialized adult skull

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