(n) (biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level, Syn. maturation, ontogeny, ontogenesis, development, growing, Ant. nondevelopment, Example:he proposed an indicator of osseous development in children
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English (GCIDE) v.0.53 Collaborative International Dictionary (GCIDE)
{ } n. [ See Ontology, and Genesis. ] (Biol.) The history of the individual development of an organism; the sequence of events involved in the development of an organism; the history of the evolution of the germ; the development of an individual organism, -- in distinction from phylogeny, or evolution of the tribe. Called also henogenesis, henogeny. Syn. -- growth, growing, maturation, development. [ 1913 Webster ]