n.
Pronunciation: ˌ pr ē -fo ̇ r- ' m ā -sh ə n
Function: noun
Date: 1732
1 : previous formation
2 : the now discredited theory that every germ cell contains the organism of its kind fully formed and that development involves merely an increase in size ― compare EPIGENESIS 1 HOMUNCULUS 2
– pre · for · ma · tion · ist \ -sh( ə -)nist \ noun or adjective