Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

neoteny

/niˈɑːtəni/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.28 in modern English

Syllables: neote-ny
IPA: /niˈɑːtəni/

10

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

4

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The sexual maturity of an organism still in its larval stage.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Most amphibians are aquatic only while young, but some amphibians with neoteny remain aquatic even as adults."
"Richard Wrangham has noted that the domestication of animals usually tames them by slowing down components of the developmental timetable to retain juvenile traits into adulthood, a process called pedomorphy or neoteny."

Etymology

From German Neotenie, coined in 1884 by anatomist Julius Kollmann from Ancient Greek νέος (néos, “young”) + τείνειν (teínein, “to extend, spread or tense”).

Origin

Source language: German

Word Breakdown

Root: Neotenie, νέος

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /niˈɑːtəni/
British English: /niˈɒtəni/

Usage

Inflected Forms

neotenies (plural)

Derived Forms

neotenic neotenin neotenist neotenous neotenously

Frequently Paired Words

agerasia

Synonyms

pedomorphism

Rhymes With

botany monotony paleobotany

Questions

How do you pronounce neoteny?: The recorded pronunciation is /niˈɑːtəni/.
What does neoteny mean?: The retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult.
Where does neoteny come from?: It is traced to German.

How to pronounce neoteny

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “neoteny”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/niˈɑːtəni/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “neoteny”.
Repeat and practice — Say “neoteny” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.