# selfish gene

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. The gene regarded as the primary driver and beneficiary of the evolutionary process.

## Etymology
Coined by British biologist Richard Dawkins in 1976 in his book The Selfish Gene.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/selfish-gene