| 释义 |
Darwinian, a. (n.)|dɑːˈwɪnɪən|
[f. proper name Darwin + -ian.]
1. Of or pertaining to Erasmus Darwin (1731–1802), and to his speculations or poetical style.
1794W. B. Stevens Jrnl. 3 June (1965) ii. 161 The lines are truly Darwinian. 1797Scott Lett. (1932) I. 62, I do not for example, think quite so severely of the Darwinian style, as to deem it utterly inconsistent with the Ballad. 1804Edin. Rev. July 297 One objection..to the Darwinian modulation with which Mr. Sotheby's versification is infected. 1842Mrs. Browning Bk. of Poets Wks. 1890 V. 279 A broad gulf between his [Wordsworth's] descriptive poetry and that of the Darwinian painter-poet school. 1950H. Darbishire Wordsworth i. 17 He is balancing his lines in the Darwinian manner with ornamental epithets.
2. a. Of or pertaining to the celebrated naturalist Charles Darwin (grandson of Erasmus Darwin, 1809–82), and to his scientific views or observations, esp. his theory of the evolution of species: see Darwinism 2.
1860T. H. Huxley in Westm. Rev. Apr. 566 The Darwinian hypothesis has the merit of being eminently simple and comprehensible. 1866K. Stanley Jrnl. 22 Aug. in B. & P. Russell Amberley Papers (1937) I. 525 It was a very fine address, Darwinean in principle. 1867(title) The Darwinian Theory of the Transmutation of Species. 1881Knowledge 9 Dec. 128/1 The principles which will guide us in the choice of subjects will be Darwinian—to wit, natural selection and the survival of the fittest. 1884W. S. Gilbert Princess Ida 11, Darwinian Man, though well-behaved, At best is only a monkey shaved! 1971M. S. Howard Jonathan Cape 313 The logical conclusions of Darwinian theory had yet to be drawn in simple terms to demonstrate the link between animal behaviour patterns and those of human society.
b. as n. A follower of Charles Darwin; one who accepts the Darwinian theory. (In quot. 1809, the sense is ‘a follower of Erasmus Darwin’.)
1809Monthly Pantheon Apr. 262 Hear this, ye..Darwinians. 1869A. R. Wallace Malay Archip. I. iv. 61 This is..the first instance known of a ‘flying frog’, and it is very interesting to Darwinians. 1871Huxley Crit. & Addresses (1873) 251 Mr. Mivart is less of a Darwinian than Mr. Wallace, for he has less faith in the power of natural selection. 1881Athenæum 29 Oct. 566/1 Mr. Balfour is a practical Darwinian. 1915A. Huxley Let. Aug. (1969) 76 Laforgue was also a hearty Darwinian and liked the thought of being a developed beast.
3. Darwinian tubercle, a projection sometimes present on the edge of the human external ear (see quots.), believed by some scientists to be a relic of the pointed ear of quadrupeds; also called Darwin's tubercule, Darwin's peak.
1890Billings Med. Dict., Darwinian tubercle.., eminence on edge of helix of external ear, believed to correspond with end of pointed ear of apes, and therefore considered a vestige. 1920I. F. & W. D. Henderson Dict. Sci. Terms 69/2 Darwinian tubercle, the slight prominence on the helix near the point where it bends downwards. 1957Encycl. Brit. VII. 823/2 Round the margin [of the ear] in its upper three-quarters is a rim called helix, in which is often seen a little prominence known as Darwin's tubercle, representing the folded-over apex of a prick-eared ancestor. |
