eugenics

English

Etymology

Coined in 1883 by Francis Galton. From Ancient Greek ἐΰς (eǘs, good) and γίγνομαι (gígnomai, breeding). Parallel to Eugene.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /juːˈdʒɛnɪks/

Noun

eugenics (uncountable)

  1. (sociology, biology) A social philosophy which advocates the improvement of human hereditary qualities through selective breeding, either by encouraging people with good genetic qualities to reproduce (positive eugenics), or discouraging people with bad genetic qualities from reproducing (negative eugenics), or by technological means.
  2. (biology) The science of improving stock, whether human or animal.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.