Neotenic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing organisms that retain characteristics usually associated with their juvenile phase even as they mature into adulthood
2. Pertaining to the preservation of youthful traits in adult forms of certain species, reflecting a delayed maturation process
3. Relating to the phenomenon where mature individuals of a species maintain traits typical of their earlier developmental stages rather than transitioning entirely to adult characteristics

Etymology: "Neotenic" is "neoteny" plus the suffix "-ic". The suffix comes down through Latin "-icus" and Old French "-ique" into Middle English "-ik" and then English "-ic", the same ending found in words like "a-tomic" or "phys-ic". Attaching it to a noun gives an adjective meaning "relating to" or "characterised by" that noun, so "neotenic" describes what is characterised by neoteny. The more revealing part is the base word. "Neoteny" is built from Greek roots: "neos", meaning "new" or "young", and "teinein", meaning "to stretch" or "extend". Together they describe a youthful state stretched out over time. The term belongs to the biological sciences, so it was coined in modern scientific English, not used by ancient Greeks, who had no such concept.

Synonyms: juvenile, immature

Antonyms: adult, mature