"neoteny" meaning in English

See neoteny in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /niˈɒtəni/ [UK], /niˈɑːtəni/ [US] Forms: neotenies [plural]
Etymology: From German Neotenie, coined in 1884 by anatomist Julius Kollmann from Ancient Greek νέος (néos, “young”) + τείνειν (teínein, “to tense”). Etymology templates: {{bor|en|de|Neotenie}} German Neotenie, {{der|en|grc|νέος||young}} Ancient Greek νέος (néos, “young”), {{m|grc|τείνειν||to tense}} τείνειν (teínein, “to tense”) Head templates: {{en-noun|~}} neoteny (countable and uncountable, plural neotenies)
  1. (biology) The retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult. Tags: countable, uncountable Categories (topical): Biology Translations (retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult): неотения (neoteniya) (Bashkir), 幼態持續 (Chinese Mandarin), 幼态持续 (yòutài chíxù) (Chinese Mandarin), 幼態延續 (Chinese Mandarin), 幼态延续 (yòutài yánxù) (Chinese Mandarin), neotenia (Finnish), vajaa yksilönkehitys (Finnish), néoténie [feminine] (French), ნეოტენია (neoṭenia) (Georgian), Neotenie [feminine] (German), Verjugendlichung [feminine] (German), νεοτενία (neotenía) [feminine] (Greek), neoitineacht [feminine] (Irish), neotenia [feminine] (Italian), ネオテニー (neotenī) (Japanese), 幼形成熟 (yōkei seijuku) (alt: ようけいせいじゅく) (Japanese), 幼態成熟 (yōtai seijuku) (alt: ようたいせいじゅく) (Japanese), неотения (neoteniä) (Kazakh), 유형성숙 (yuhyeongseongsuk) (alt: 幼形成熟) (Korean), неотения (neoteniya) (Kyrgyz), neotenia [feminine] (Occitan), نئوتنی (Persian), neotenia [feminine] (Polish), неоте́ния (neoténija) [feminine] (Russian), neotenia [feminine] (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-neoteny-en-noun-ZmijlX~i Topics: biology, natural-sciences Disambiguation of 'retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult': 94 6
  2. (biology) The sexual maturity of an organism still in its larval stage. Tags: countable, uncountable Categories (topical): Biology Translations (sexual maturity of an organism still in its larval stage): néoténie [feminine] (French), neoitineacht [feminine] (Irish), neotenia [feminine] (Italian), neotenia [feminine] (Polish), неоте́ния (neoténija) [feminine] (Russian)
    Sense id: en-neoteny-en-noun-h3CNs7e7 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 27 73 Topics: biology, natural-sciences Disambiguation of 'sexual maturity of an organism still in its larval stage': 4 96
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: pedomorphism Derived forms: neotenic, neotenist, neotenous, neotenously Related terms: agerasia

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for neoteny meaning in English (7.7kB)

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "neotenic"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "neotenist"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "neotenous"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "neotenously"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "de",
        "3": "Neotenie"
      },
      "expansion": "German Neotenie",
      "name": "bor"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "νέος",
        "4": "",
        "5": "young"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek νέος (néos, “young”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "grc",
        "2": "τείνειν",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to tense"
      },
      "expansion": "τείνειν (teínein, “to tense”)",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From German Neotenie, coined in 1884 by anatomist Julius Kollmann from Ancient Greek νέος (néos, “young”) + τείνειν (teínein, “to tense”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "neotenies",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
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      "name": "en-noun"
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  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "agerasia"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Biology",
          "orig": "en:Biology",
          "parents": [
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            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
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        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Most amphibians are aquatic only while young, but some amphibians with neoteny remain aquatic even as adults.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult."
      ],
      "id": "en-neoteny-en-noun-ZmijlX~i",
      "links": [
        [
          "biology",
          "biology"
        ],
        [
          "retention",
          "retention"
        ],
        [
          "juvenile",
          "juvenile"
        ],
        [
          "characteristic",
          "characteristic"
        ],
        [
          "adult",
          "adult"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(biology) The retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "biology",
        "natural-sciences"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "ba",
          "lang": "Bashkir",
          "roman": "neoteniya",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "word": "неотения"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "word": "幼態持續"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "yòutài chíxù",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "word": "幼态持续"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "word": "幼態延續"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "yòutài yánxù",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "word": "幼态延续"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "word": "neotenia"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "word": "vajaa yksilönkehitys"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "néoténie"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "roman": "neoṭenia",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "word": "ნეოტენია"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Neotenie"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Verjugendlichung"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "neotenía",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "νεοτενία"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "neoitineacht"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "neotenia"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "neotenī",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "word": "ネオテニー"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "alt": "ようけいせいじゅく",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "yōkei seijuku",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "word": "幼形成熟"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "alt": "ようたいせいじゅく",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "yōtai seijuku",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "word": "幼態成熟"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "kk",
          "lang": "Kazakh",
          "roman": "neoteniä",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "word": "неотения"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "alt": "幼形成熟",
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "roman": "yuhyeongseongsuk",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "word": "유형성숙"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "ky",
          "lang": "Kyrgyz",
          "roman": "neoteniya",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "word": "неотения"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "oc",
          "lang": "Occitan",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "neotenia"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "fa",
          "lang": "Persian",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "word": "نئوتنی"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "neotenia"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "neoténija",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "неоте́ния"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 6",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "neotenia"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Biology",
          "orig": "en:Biology",
          "parents": [
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            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "27 73",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The sexual maturity of an organism still in its larval stage."
      ],
      "id": "en-neoteny-en-noun-h3CNs7e7",
      "links": [
        [
          "biology",
          "biology"
        ],
        [
          "sexual",
          "sexual"
        ],
        [
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          "maturity"
        ],
        [
          "organism",
          "organism"
        ],
        [
          "larval",
          "larval"
        ],
        [
          "stage",
          "stage"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(biology) The sexual maturity of an organism still in its larval stage."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "biology",
        "natural-sciences"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "4 96",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "sexual maturity of an organism still in its larval stage",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "néoténie"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "4 96",
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "sexual maturity of an organism still in its larval stage",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "neoitineacht"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "4 96",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "sexual maturity of an organism still in its larval stage",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "neotenia"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "4 96",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "sexual maturity of an organism still in its larval stage",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "neotenia"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "4 96",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "neoténija",
          "sense": "sexual maturity of an organism still in its larval stage",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "неоте́ния"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/niˈɒtəni/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/niˈɑːtəni/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "pedomorphism"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Julius Kollmann"
  ],
  "word": "neoteny"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English 4-syllable words",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms borrowed from German",
    "English terms derived from Ancient Greek",
    "English terms derived from German",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English uncountable nouns"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "neotenic"
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    {
      "word": "neotenist"
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    {
      "word": "neotenous"
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    {
      "word": "neotenously"
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      "args": {
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      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From German Neotenie, coined in 1884 by anatomist Julius Kollmann from Ancient Greek νέος (néos, “young”) + τείνειν (teínein, “to tense”).",
  "forms": [
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "agerasia"
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  ],
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    {
      "categories": [
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        "en:Biology"
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        {
          "text": "Most amphibians are aquatic only while young, but some amphibians with neoteny remain aquatic even as adults.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
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        "The retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult."
      ],
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          "adult"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(biology) The retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "biology",
        "natural-sciences"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Biology"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The sexual maturity of an organism still in its larval stage."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "biology",
          "biology"
        ],
        [
          "sexual",
          "sexual"
        ],
        [
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          "maturity"
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        [
          "organism",
          "organism"
        ],
        [
          "larval",
          "larval"
        ],
        [
          "stage",
          "stage"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(biology) The sexual maturity of an organism still in its larval stage."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "biology",
        "natural-sciences"
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  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/niˈɒtəni/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/niˈɑːtəni/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "pedomorphism"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ba",
      "lang": "Bashkir",
      "roman": "neoteniya",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "word": "неотения"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "word": "幼態持續"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "yòutài chíxù",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "word": "幼态持续"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "word": "幼態延續"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "yòutài yánxù",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "word": "幼态延续"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "word": "neotenia"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "word": "vajaa yksilönkehitys"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "néoténie"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "roman": "neoṭenia",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "word": "ნეოტენია"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Neotenie"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Verjugendlichung"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "neotenía",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "νεοτενία"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "neoitineacht"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "neotenia"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "neotenī",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "word": "ネオテニー"
    },
    {
      "alt": "ようけいせいじゅく",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "yōkei seijuku",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "word": "幼形成熟"
    },
    {
      "alt": "ようたいせいじゅく",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "yōtai seijuku",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "word": "幼態成熟"
    },
    {
      "code": "kk",
      "lang": "Kazakh",
      "roman": "neoteniä",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "word": "неотения"
    },
    {
      "alt": "幼形成熟",
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "roman": "yuhyeongseongsuk",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "word": "유형성숙"
    },
    {
      "code": "ky",
      "lang": "Kyrgyz",
      "roman": "neoteniya",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "word": "неотения"
    },
    {
      "code": "oc",
      "lang": "Occitan",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "neotenia"
    },
    {
      "code": "fa",
      "lang": "Persian",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "word": "نئوتنی"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "neotenia"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "neoténija",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "неоте́ния"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "neotenia"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "sexual maturity of an organism still in its larval stage",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "néoténie"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "sexual maturity of an organism still in its larval stage",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "neoitineacht"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "sexual maturity of an organism still in its larval stage",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "neotenia"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "sexual maturity of an organism still in its larval stage",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "neotenia"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "neoténija",
      "sense": "sexual maturity of an organism still in its larval stage",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "неоте́ния"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Julius Kollmann"
  ],
  "word": "neoteny"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-26 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (93a6c53 and 21a9316). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.