noun
1. a series of stages through which an organism passes between recurrences of a primary stage (Freq. 1)
• Hypernyms: ↑organic phenomenon
2. the course of developmental changes in an organism from fertilized zygote to maturity when another zygote can be produced
• Hypernyms: ↑growth, ↑growing, ↑maturation, ↑development, ↑ontogeny, ↑ontogenesis
Useful english dictionary. 2012.