heterochrony: Meaning and Definition of

het•er•och•ro•ny

Pronunciation: (het"u-rok'ru-nē), [key]
— n. Biol.
  1. a genetic shift in timing of the development of a tissue or anatomical part, or in the onset of a physiological process, relative to an ancestor.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.