darwin
/ˈdɑɹwɪn/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.76 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
name
A surname, especially referring to Charles Darwin (1809–1882), British naturalist and founder of the theory of evolution by natural selection.
name
A municipality of Río Negro province, Argentina.
name
The capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia.
name
A ghost town in Tasmania, Australia.
name
A settlement on the peninsula of Lafonia, East Falkland island, Falkland Islands.
name
A number of places in the United States:
name
A number of places in the United States:
name
A number of places in the United States:
Example Sentences
- "One darwin (d) equals the rate of evolution that would produce a change in size by a factor of approximately 2.7 in one million years."
- "The rate of evolutionary change in a species' wing or leg or beak (remember Darwin's finches mentioned in Chapter 1?) is assessed in degree-of-physical-change units called darwins."
- "For instance, gradual change is relatively common in vertebrates (about .08 darwins), though some rapidly evolving vertebrates lineages show rates as high as 10 darwins, over short periods."
Etymology
From Middle English Darwin, Derwin, from Old English Dēorwine (“a given name”), composed of dēore (“dear”) + wine (“friend”). The city in Australia is named after Charles Darwin.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: Darwin, Dēorwine
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈdɑɹwɪn/
- British English: /ˈdɑːwɪn/
Usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Biology, People.