spontaneous generation
1
9.8
- noun
- /spɒnˈteɪniəs ˌdʒɛnəˈreɪʃən/
- Specialized
:
generación espontánea
- It was only with the adoption of the scientific method that many of the classical theories, like spontaneous generation, began to be tested.
Examples
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Ever since Pasteur's experiments, no one believes in older reports about spontaneous generation.
Blog text (5) -
The concept of spontaneous generation was thoroughly debunked through experiments that showed life cannot arise without a parent organism.
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That was one reason that spontaneous generation had led to so much excitement.
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Have you or anyone ever witnessed the spontaneous generation of life?
Blog text (5) -
In controlled experiments, spontaneous generation simply does not happen.
Blog text (5) -
The laws of statistics, the law of entropy, calculations of thermodynamics and kinetics all converge on the conclusion that spontaneous generation of life is not possible.
Blog text (5) -
For example, famed scientist Louis Pasteur showed that maggots would not appear on meat kept in a sealed container, and the invention of the microscope helped to show that these same insects were formed not by spontaneous generation but by airborne microorganisms.
Blog text (10) -
In the past, scientists accepted the theory of spontaneous generation, believing that life could emerge from nonliving matter.
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Many early biologists promoted spontaneous generation, but discoveries in microbiology ultimately disproved this idea.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A process in which life begins naturally from nonliving matter
An old idea that living things can come from nonliving matter
A process that makes living things from nonliving matter
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The core meaning — generation or production that happens without external influence — is transparently built from 'spontaneous' (occurring without external influence) + 'generation' (the act of producing). A B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer that the phrase refers to production that occurs on its own; the historical/scientific status (that it is a disproved theory) is additional factual knowledge but does not make the basic sense opaque.
Etymology
Spontaneous generation comes from a simple, old idea: people saw maggots or mice appear on rotting meat or rags and thought the creatures had just appeared by themselves from the dead material. So spontaneous generation became the name for the belief that 'living things can appear from nonliving matter', an idea later shown to be wrong.