catastrophism

English

Etymology

From catastrophe +‎ -ism, coined by English polymath William Whewell in 1837.

Noun

catastrophism (countable and uncountable, plural catastrophisms)

1. (geology) The doctrine that sudden catastrophes, rather than continuous change, cause the main features of the Earth's crust.

   Antonym: uniformitarianism

2. (biology) This term needs a definition. Please help out and add a definition, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Coordinate terms

• anastrophism