Polygenesis

Polygenesis (from the modernly coined Greek πολυγένεσις, itself from πολύς 'many' and γένεσις 'origin') is the phenomenon of the same error – or change – being produced independently in different parts of a text's transmission. This may happen either by chance or because under certain circumstances certain kinds of errors appear more regularly or with greater probability. A Leitfehler is a variant that is unlikely to arise polygenetically.

In other languages

DE: Polygenese
FR: polygénèse
IT: poligenesi

AC