Anlage is a fundamental principle, or a foundation for future development. The word is of german origin (i.e. die Anlage, female noun) and relates to the verb anlegen which means establishing something or preparing something for development. (ex. "Geldanlage" is a money-investment, "Gartenanlage" is a park or nature reservoir, "Veranlagung" is any kind of predisposition)

In biology, anlage is the primordium, the initial clustering of embryonic cells that serves as a foundation from which a body part or an organ develops. Biology is the branch of science dealing with the study of life. ... A primordium (plural primordia) is the first stage in the development of an organ. ...

In genetics, anlage is a predisposition to a given personality characteristics or a trait. Genetics (from the Greek genno γεννώ= give birth) is the science of genes, heredity, and the variation of organisms. ...

Failure to progress past this stage in organ development is known as agenesis.