English
homoplasy
Homoplasy comes from Ancient Greek πλᾰ́σῐς ‘a moulding, conformation’, and goes back to πλάσσω ‘to form’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπλάσσωplássō‘to form’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEπλᾰ́σῐςplắsĭs‘a moulding, conformation’
- Englishtodayhomoplasy
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπλάσσωplássō‘to form’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEπλᾰ́σῐςplắsĭs‘a moulding, conformation’
- Englishtodayhomoplasy
Formed from homo + plasy
The story
Coined by British zoologist Ray Lankester in 1870, from homo- + -plasy, formed from Ancient Greek ὁμός (homós, “similar, alike, the same”) and πλάσσω (plássō, “to shape, to mold”).
Linked words
through Ancient Greek πλάσσω ‘to form’
plastic, plasma, plasmodium, plastique, 11 more
through Ancient Greek πλᾰ́σῐς ‘a moulding, conformation’
Today it means
noun A correspondence between the parts or organs of different species acquired as the result of parallel evolution or convergence.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek πλάσσω / homoplasy