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-morphic

See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com
  1. variant of -morphous: anthropomorphic.

Origin of -morphic

-morph + -ic

morph

[mawrf]
noun
  1. Linguistics. a sequence of phonemes constituting a minimal unit of grammar or syntax, and, as such, a representation, member, or contextual variant of a morpheme in a specific environment.Compare allomorph(def 2).
  2. Biology. an individual of one particular form, as a worker ant, in a species that occurs in two or more forms.
verb (used with object)
  1. to transform (an image) by computer.
verb (used without object)
  1. to be transformed: morphing from a tough negotiator to Mr. Friendly.

Origin of morph

1945–50; back formation from morpheme, or independent use of -morph
Related formsmor·phic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for morphic

Historical Examples

  • The pyroxene is morphic, yellow or green, and is surrounded by formless areas of nepheline.

    Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 3

    Various

British Dictionary definitions for morphic

morph1

noun
  1. linguistics the phonological representation of a morpheme

Word Origin

C20: shortened form of morpheme

morph2

noun
  1. biology any of the different forms of individual found in a polymorphic species

Word Origin

C20: from Greek morphē shape

morph3

verb
  1. to undergo or cause to undergo morphing
  2. to transform or be transformed completely in appearance or characterhe morphed from nerd into pop icon
noun
  1. a morphed image
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for morphic

adj.

1826, from Greek morphe "form, shape" (see Morpheus) + -ic.

morph

as a noun, in biology, 1955; as a verb, in cinematic special effects, c.1987, short for metamorphosis. Related: Morphed; morphing. Earlier it was a slang shortening of morphine (1912).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
morphic in Medicine

-morphic

suff.
  1. Having a specified shape or form:homomorphic.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
morphic in Science

morph

[môrf]
  1. A phenotypically distinct form of an organism or species.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.