telo- Also teleo-.
End; purpose.
[Greek telos, end.]
A telomere (Greek meros, part) is a compound structure at the end of a chromosome; a telogen is the resting phase of a hair follicle; the telophase is the final phase of cell division; the adjective telolecithal (Greek lekithos, egg yolk), refers to an egg or egg cell that has a large yolk situated at or near one end.
Examples spelled teleo- are rarer: teleology is the explanation of phenomena by the purpose they serve rather than by postulated causes; teleonomy is an impression of purpose in living organisms as a result of adaptation through natural selection. For another sense of this spelling, see teleo-.
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