allomorph

[al-uh-mawrf]

noun

1. any of two or more different forms of the same chemical compound.

2. Linguistics.,  one of the alternate contextually determined phonological shapes of a morpheme, as en in oxen, which is an allomorph of the English plural morpheme.

3. Mineralogy.,  paramorph.

allomorph

/ ˈæləˌmɔːf /

noun

1. linguistics any of the phonological representations of a single morpheme. For example, the final (s) and (z) sounds of bets and beds are allomorphs of the English noun-plural morpheme

2. any of two or more different crystalline forms of a chemical compound, such as a mineral

Other Word Forms

• allomorphic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of allomorph¹

First recorded in 1865–70; allo- + -morph

Example Sentences

The property which constitutes an allomorph; the change involved in becoming an allomorph.

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