This week’s theme
Lesser-known counterparts of words

This week’s words
earwitness
diachronic
consanguinity
plebeian
allopatric


This week’s comments
AWADmail 1166

Next week’s theme
Idioms & metaphors

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(al-uh-PAT/PAYT-rik)

MEANING:

adjective: Existing or occurring in geographically distinct areas.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Greek allo- (other) + patra (homeland), from pater (father). Earliest documented use: 1942.

NOTES:

The term is often used in the phrase allopatric speciation to refer to the formation of new species through the geographic isolation of populations. Geographic separation prevents interbreeding and leads to the evolution of distinct characteristics. The counterpart is sympatric (occurring in the same geographical area).

USAGE:

“The scientists first played the birds two unfamiliar recorded sounds. One was the alarm cry of an allopatric chestnut-rumped thornbill, a bird not native to Australia. The other was a computer-generated bird sound dubbed ‘buzz’.”
Christina Larson; Birds Learn Another ‘Language’ by Eavesdropping on Neighbors; Sunday Gazette-Mail (West Virginia) Aug 5, 2018.

“Allopatric speciation is the most commonly accepted mode of speciation; it requires geographic separation and considerable time for populations of one species to become adapted to different environments and evolve mechanisms that prevent mating.”
Jeff Mitton; Treehoppers’ Environments Are Defined by Their Host Species; The Daily Camera (Boulder, Colorado); Jul 27, 2017.

See more usage examples of allopatric in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: