exaptation
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exaptation
- /ˌɛk.səpˈteɪ.ʃən/ UK
- /ˌɛk.sæpˈteɪ.ʃən/ US
Rhymes with -eɪʃən
Where it comes from
Blend of ex- + adaptation. Coined 1982 by palaeontologists Stephen Jay Gould and Elisabeth Vrba to avoid the perceived teleological baggage of the existing term preadaptation.
noun exaptations
- The use of a biological structure or function for a purpose other than that for which it initially evolved. Birds initially developed wings and feathers as a means of heat regulation. The use of wings for flight is an example of exaptation.
- The promotion of meaningless or redundant material so that it does new grammatical (morphosyntactic or phonological) or semantic work. The process Haiman focuses on is exaptation, which he defines as "the promotion of meaningless or redundant material so that it does new grammatical (morphosyntactic or phonological) or semantic work" (p52).
Translations
Every language
noun use of a biological structure or function for a purpose other than that for which it initially evolved
| Italiano | exattamento, riuso |
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Talk about this word "exaptation." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/exaptation. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. exaptation. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/exaptation "exaptation." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/exaptation.Cite this
@misc{exaptation_2026,
title = {exaptation},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/exaptation},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
