A condition or state characterized by fetal development or fetal characteristics; the quality of being fetal.
From 'foetal' + '-ism' (a system, condition, or practice). The suffix '-ism' comes from Greek and Latin, used to create abstract nouns naming doctrines, conditions, or states.
This is a rare medical term that describes when an organism retains fetal-like characteristics into later development—it's part of a phenomenon called neoteny that explains why humans stay dependent longer than most animals.
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