Webster's 1913 Dictionary
EPIGENESIS
Ep `i *gen "e *sis, n. Etym: [Pref. epi- + genesis. ] (Biol.)
Defn: The theory of generation which holds that the germ is created entirely new, not merely expanded, by the procreative power of the parents. It is opposed to the theory of evolution, also to syngenesis.
EPIGENESIST
EPIGENESIST Ep `i *gen "e *sist, n. (Biol.)
Defn: One who believes in, or advocates the theory of, epigenesis.
New American Oxford Dictionary
epigenesis
ep i gen e sis |ˌepiˈjenəsis ˌɛpəˈʤɛnəsəs | ▶noun Biology the theory, now generally held, that an embryo develops progressively from an undifferentiated egg cell. Often contrasted with preformation. DERIVATIVES ep i gen e sist |-sist |noun & adjective ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from epi- ‘in addition ’ + genesis .
Oxford Dictionary
epigenesis
epigenesis |ˌɛpɪˈdʒɛnɪsɪs | ▶noun [ mass noun ] Biology the theory, now generally held, that an embryo develops progressively from an undifferentiated egg cell. Often contrasted with preformation. DERIVATIVES epigenesist noun & adjective ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from epi- ‘in addition ’ + genesis .
The Wordsmith Dictionary