darwin

plural darwins

1. A unit of evolutionary change in evolutionary biology.

   One darwin (d) equals the rate of evolution that would produce a change in size by a factor of approximately 2.7 in one million years.

   1999, J. William Schopf, Evolution!: Facts and Fallacies, page 50

   2 more examples

   The rate of evolutionary change in a species' wing or leg or beak (remember Darwin's finches mentioned in Chapter 1?) is assessed in degree-of-physical-change units called darwins.

   2003, Donald Mitchell, The 2,000 Percent Solution, page 243

   For instance, gradual change is relatively common in vertebrates (about .08 darwins), though some rapidly evolving vertebrates lineages show rates as high as 10 darwins, over short periods.

   2010, Sahotra Sarkar, Anya Plutynski, A Companion to the Philosophy of Biology, page 177

alternative Darwen · alternative Derwin

1. A surname, especially referring to Charles Darwin (1809–1882), British naturalist and founder of the theory of evolution by natural selection.
2. A municipality of Río Negro province, Argentina.
3. The capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia.
4. A ghost town in Tasmania, Australia.
5. A settlement on the peninsula of Lafonia, East Falkland island, Falkland Islands.
6. A number of places in the United States:
   1. An unincorporated community and census-designated place in Inyo County, California.
   2. A ghost town in Fresno County, California.
   3. A township and unincorporated community therein, in Clark County, Illinois.
   4. A township and minor city in Meeker County, Minnesota.
   5. A small unincorporated community in Bedford Township, Meigs County, Ohio.
   6. An unincorporated community in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma.
   7. A ghost town in Webb County, Texas.
   8. An unincorporated community in Dickenson County, Virginia.
7. A male given name transferred from the surname, deriving from the Old English name Dēorwine and revived through the surname.
8. abbreviationellipsisinformalCambridge UniversityEllipsis of Darwin College, Cambridge.
9. computingAn open-source Unix operating system first released by Apple.

alternative Darwen · alternative Derwin

1. alternativeAlternative form of Derwent (English locative name).