Did you by any chance mean neoteny?
Definitions
WordNet 3.0
- n. the state resulting when juvenile characteristics are retained by the adults of a species
Examples
“However, it will extend neotony, something we have enough already.”
“Some psychological aspect of ontogeny recapitulating phylogeny, or, rather, a sexual manifestation of neotony?”
“They are very different: dogs go into heat twice a year, wolves once; dogs exhibit “neotony” — traits that make them more docile — wolves obviously do not.”
“ACQUIRED through a neotony of prolonged maturation – there is no ontology without ontogeny – not necessarily a capriciously God given one for the circumcised but rather one acquired by nature-nurture interactions developing into intelligence.”
“For too long this and other demands we have made on men have served only to keep them in a state of neotony.”
“Following up @TonyNZ’s comment: I am familiar with the neotony theory, but human babies are naked.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘neotony’.
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just neat
insolent, redolent, clammy, chunder, berate, vainqueur, neotony, milquetoast, semprini, twaddle, plethora, enteron and 29 more...
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researchgirl's Words
palpable, vade mecum, penumbra, ephemera, esoteric, quirky, quintessential, aphorism, amnesia, insomnia, synesthesia, apostasy and 186 more...
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2011 July
New words
correspondent, promulgate, transgress, trite, ravine, corespondent, contrivance, contrive, expedient, conducive, clairvoyance, difform and 184 more...
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Amazing Words You've Never Even Heard Of
bdolotic, antivitruvian, infibulate, malversation, exsanguinate, dysania, sialoquent, eisegetical, prelapsarian, algolagnia, unasinous, neotony and 11 more...
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Panaceaseless
Various concepts that might surround The Fountain of Youth.
yearling, revirescent, juvenescent, neanimorphism, horapthia, voice lift, paedomorphism, shunamitism, torschlusspanik, roborant, rejuvenation, ageless and 63 more...
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: ) words
solace, implicit, lambent, noetic, aestival, anemone, opalescent, virago, rhapsody, sidereal, pelagic, ebullient and 51 more...
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dyvncwby's list
hexakosioihexekon..., mackle, oenopoetic, hapax legomenon, neotony
Tweets
Looking for tweets for neotony.

seanahan There are a lot of evolutionary tales about neotony, including the "Juvenile Ape" hypothesis for human evolution. Jan 4, 2008