"preformation" meaning in English

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "preformationary"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "preformationism"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "preformationist"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pre",
        "3": "formation"
      },
      "expansion": "pre- + formation",
      "name": "prefix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From pre- + formation.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "preformations",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "praeformation",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "preformation (countable and uncountable, plural preformations)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Prior formation."
      ],
      "id": "en-preformation-en-noun-Pr5aK6dH",
      "links": [
        [
          "formation",
          "formation"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Biology",
          "orig": "en:Biology",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "26 74",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "41 59",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms prefixed with pre-",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "16 84",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "9 91",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              0,
              12
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1999, Matt Ridley, Genome, Harper Perennial, published 2004, page 174:",
          "text": "Preformation, as even Aristotle spotted, merely postpones the problem, for how did the homunculus get its shape?",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The theory that organisms are fully developed in the form of an egg or seed, and just increase in size (as opposed to epigenesis)."
      ],
      "id": "en-preformation-en-noun-oFQoJwCZ",
      "links": [
        [
          "biology",
          "biology"
        ],
        [
          "theory",
          "theory"
        ],
        [
          "organism",
          "organism"
        ],
        [
          "egg",
          "egg"
        ],
        [
          "seed",
          "seed"
        ],
        [
          "epigenesis",
          "epigenesis#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(biology, historical) The theory that organisms are fully developed in the form of an egg or seed, and just increase in size (as opposed to epigenesis)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "historical",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "biology",
        "natural-sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹiːfɔːˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "preformation"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms prefixed with pre-",
    "English uncountable nouns",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "preformationary"
    },
    {
      "word": "preformationism"
    },
    {
      "word": "preformationist"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pre",
        "3": "formation"
      },
      "expansion": "pre- + formation",
      "name": "prefix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From pre- + formation.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "preformations",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "praeformation",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "preformation (countable and uncountable, plural preformations)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Prior formation."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "formation",
          "formation"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with historical senses",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Biology"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              0,
              12
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1999, Matt Ridley, Genome, Harper Perennial, published 2004, page 174:",
          "text": "Preformation, as even Aristotle spotted, merely postpones the problem, for how did the homunculus get its shape?",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The theory that organisms are fully developed in the form of an egg or seed, and just increase in size (as opposed to epigenesis)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "biology",
          "biology"
        ],
        [
          "theory",
          "theory"
        ],
        [
          "organism",
          "organism"
        ],
        [
          "egg",
          "egg"
        ],
        [
          "seed",
          "seed"
        ],
        [
          "epigenesis",
          "epigenesis#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(biology, historical) The theory that organisms are fully developed in the form of an egg or seed, and just increase in size (as opposed to epigenesis)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "historical",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "biology",
        "natural-sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹiːfɔːˈmeɪʃ(ə)n/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "preformation"
}