the doctrine of the continuity of the germ plasm. This theory of heredity states that all inheritable characteristics are transmitted by the reproductive cells and that characteristics acquired during the lifetime of the organism are not inherited
Word origin
C19: named after August Weismann (1834–1914), German biologist
Weismannism in American English
(ˈvaɪsmɑnˌɪzəm)
noun
a theory of heredity that emphasizes the continuity of the germ plasm from generation to generation and the rigid separation of the somatoplasm which dies in every generation, thus prohibiting the transmission of acquired characters