noun (Zoology)
• the retention of juvenile features in the adult animal. Also called pedomorphosis.
• the sexual maturity of an animal while it is still in a mainly larval state, as in the axolotl. Also called pedogenesis.
DERIVATIVES
neotenic | ˌnēōˈtenik, -ˈtēnik | adjective
neotenous | nēˈätn-əs | adjective
[Close to the Machine — Ellen Ullman]