fetalization

noun

fe·​tal·​iza·​tion

variants or less commonly foetalization

ˌ⸗⸗ə̇ˈzāshən,

-ˌīˈz-

plural -s

: a retention in the postnatal life of higher forms of conditions occurring during development of related lower forms

the human skull shows fetalization in comparison to the gorilla's since it resembles the simple infant gorilla skull rather than the massive specialized adult skull

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