Geometroidea

/dʒiːɒmɛtrɔɪˈdiːə/ noun

Definition

A taxonomic grouping or category that includes organisms or things having a somewhat geometric or regular form.

Etymology

From geometroid (geometry + -oid 'resembling') plus the suffix -ea, a common Linnaean taxonomic ending used to denote superorders or major groups in biological classification.

Kelly Says

This word reveals how naturalists in the 18th and 19th centuries tried to organize life using geometric categories—they believed that if they could find the geometric 'essence' of a creature, they could understand its place in nature's perfect blueprint.

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