noun
eugenics
yoo-JEH-nihks
noun
1
A discredited social philosophy that sought to \"improve\" the human population through selective breeding or by restricting who could reproduce.
"Eugenics was used to justify some of history's worst human rights abuses."
How to Use Eugenics
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA now widely condemned movement that tried to control human reproduction to shape the population's genetics.
When to use it
A historically loaded term, strongly associated with discrimination and human rights abuses.
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_____ was used to justify some of history's worst human rights abuses.
Etymology
Coined in 1883 by Francis Galton from Greek roots meaning roughly \"well-born\" or \"good in stock.\"