anlage
|an-la-ge|
🇺🇸
/ˈæn.ləɡə/
🇬🇧
/ˈæn.lɑːɡə/
initial laying down; predisposition
Etymology
'anlage' originates from German, specifically the word 'Anlage', where the prefix 'an-' meant 'on/to' and the root 'legen' meant 'to lay'.
'anlage' changed from Old High German forms such as 'anlagan' and Middle High German 'anlage' and was borrowed into English (with specialized senses) from German in the 19th century.
Initially, it meant 'a laying on, arrangement, or placing' (a physical laying/setting) and 'a plan or layout'; over time, especially in English scientific usage, it also came to mean 'a predisposition' and 'the embryonic rudiment of an organ'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an inborn tendency, predisposition, or natural aptitude.
His anlage for music was apparent from an early age.
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Noun 2
in embryology or developmental biology, the rudiment or primordium of an organ: the early group of cells from which an organ develops.
During the third week the limb anlage begins to form in the embryo.
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Noun 3
a layout, installation, or complex (from German usage), e.g., an industrial plant or landscaped facility.
They toured the new research anlage on the university campus.
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Last updated: 2025/08/14 19:36