exaptation

About 0.02 uses per million words.

Meaning

1. noun The use of a biological structure or function for a purpose other than that for which it initially evolved.

   Birds initially developed wings and feathers as a means of heat regulation. The use of wings for flight is an example of exaptation.

2. noun The promotion of meaningless or redundant material so that it does new grammatical (morphosyntactic or phonological) or semantic work.

Similar words

preadaptation hyperadaptation counteradaptation adaptation auxesis adaptationism evolutionary trap planation adaptomics bioadaptation

Often followed by

of in is and for as to or

Word family

exaptations