Standard Lemma guide

Lamarckism

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Received-Pronunciation: /ləˈmɑːkɪzəm/
  • General-American: /ləˈmɑɹkɪzəm/
  • General-American: lə-mär􂀽'kĭ-zəm
  • rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)kɪzəm

1

noun

Meaning 1

The theory that structural variations, characteristic of species and genera, are produced in animals and plants by the direct influence of physical environments, and especially, in the case of animals, by effort, or by use or disuse of certain organs.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical, uncountable

Qualifier: evolutionary theory

Examples

  • Coordinate term: Darwinism

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a theory of organic evolution claiming that acquired characteristics are transmitted to offspring

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: theory of evolution, theory of organic evolution, evolutionism

Narrower terms: Neo-Lamarckism

History

Etymology

Internationalism, from Lamarck (i.e. its proponent Jean-Baptiste Lamarck) + -ism.

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: لَامَارْكِيّة (lāmārkiyya) — evolutionary theory
  • Catalan: lamarckisme — evolutionary theory
  • Finnish: lamarckismi — evolutionary theory
  • French: lamarckisme — evolutionary theory
  • Galician: lamarckismo — evolutionary theory
  • German: Lamarckismus — evolutionary theory
  • Greek: λαμαρκισμός (lamarkismós) — evolutionary theory
  • Italian: lamarckismo — evolutionary theory
  • Japanese: 用不用説 (yōfuyōsetsu) — evolutionary theory
  • Japanese: ラマルク説 (Ramaruku-setsu) — evolutionary theory
  • Polish: lamarkizm — evolutionary theory
  • Portuguese: lamarckismo — evolutionary theory
  • Romanian: lamarckism — evolutionary theory
  • Russian: ламарки́зм (lamarkízm) — evolutionary theory
  • Spanish: lamarckismo — evolutionary theory
  • Ukrainian: ламаркі́зм (lamarkízm) — evolutionary theory