👶 Becoming like a fetus 🐶 Keeping baby traits

fetalization

1 9.9

A process in which an animal keeps baby features as an adult

noun
/ˌfiːtəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/

Specialized

: fetalización

Researchers observed fetalization in certain dog breeds that maintain puppy-like features as adults.

Examples

The concept of fetalization helps explain why some mammals have large eyes and rounded faces.
Evolutionary biologists debate the role of fetalization in the development of human traits.
The concept of fetalization is fascinating in evolutionary biology.
Many species exhibit signs of fetalization as they mature.
Researchers observed fetalization in certain dog breeds that maintain puppy-like features into adulthood.
The phenomenon of fetalization can be seen in some species that retain juvenile characteristics as they age.
Many animals show fetalization by keeping traits such as large eyes and soft fur even in adulthood.

Synonyms

neoteny

vsfetalization

Specialized

1 9.9

The keeping of young animals' body parts or looks in adults

is about an ongoing process of retaining fetal characteristics into adulthood

How Juvenile

fetalization

Specialized

1 9.9

juvenile

173 4.2

Surface Forms

fetalization singular

fetalizations plural

Morphology

fetalization = fetal (transparent) = fetus + al + ization

The word is transparently built from the adjective 'fetal' plus the noun-forming suffix '-ization', even though the sense is specialized in evolutionary biology.

Etymology

Fetalization comes from fetus, 'young one', together with -ization, 'a process'. A helpful way to remember it is that fetalization names the process of keeping fetal or puppy-like traits into adult life, which explains why some adults keep big eyes or round faces.